Publication of Seodaemun-gu Urban Regeneration Record Book 'Records of Cheonyeon Chunghyeon'

Capturing the History, People, and Scenery of Cheonnyeon-dong and Chunghyeon-dong... Available for Download and Viewing as PDF Files on Seodaemun-gu Website

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] The story of a village undergoing active urban regeneration has been compiled into a book.

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) recently published "Records of Cheonyeon-Chunghyeon" as the urban regeneration revitalization projects in Cheonyeon-dong and Chunghyeon-dong progressed. The book is based on resident interviews, field surveys, and architectural measurements.

Unlike typical urban regeneration publications, this book densely captures the neighbors who have lived in close relationships on the same land, the village history, and residents' joys and sorrows across more than 600 pages.

It is organized into four themes: history, urban architecture, daily life, and photography, covering the village’s past and present from the mid-18th century construction of Cheonyeonjeong (天然亭) to the development of the current Yeongcheon Market.

Additionally, it records historical and measurement data such as the first citizen apartment, the now-demolished Geumhwa Apartment, the still-existing first apartment in Korea, Chungjeong Apartment, and the disappearing Cheonyeon-dong rice cake alley, which will be useful for comparing the area's changes over time.

"Records of Cheonyeon-Chunghyeon" can be freely downloaded or viewed as a PDF file on the Seodaemun-gu website (District News → Seodaemun Media → Administrative Publications).

The district plans to place copies of the book at the Cheonyeon-dong and Chunghyeon-dong Community Centers, the National Library of Korea, and make it available for viewing in the Kyobo Bookstore e-book section.

Moon Seok-jin, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, stated, “Recording and preserving the stories of disappearing and forgotten villages is a very important part of maintaining the identity of the region,” and added, “We will work harder to develop the Cheonyeon-Chunghyeon area as a historical center of Seoul and a leading urban regeneration district.”