[Future of Seochon]⑥ Connecting Seochon's Small Streets to Link Surrounding Commercial Areas - Professor Mo Jong-rin, Yonsei University

Seochon, a perfect blend of roads, architectural resources, and cultural assets

Many local brands exist... but business identity remains ambiguous

Limitations in attracting people with car-free streets and park paths alone

Create a network of secondary roads to form a vast cultural district

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] Professor Mo Jong-rin of Yonsei University Graduate School of International Studies explores how alleys enrich neighborhoods and make people happy through economics. That is why people call him the 'Alleyway Economist.' Professor Mo graduated from Cornell University with a degree in economics and earned his Ph.D. in business administration from Stanford University. While researching and lecturing on international political economy and globalization, he pondered the secrets behind how attractive cities worldwide draw people in. One of those secrets, he believes, is the alleyway. As he claims, it is no exaggeration to say that major Korean tourist spots like Hongdae, Garosu-gil, and Itaewon all started from small alleyways. Having emphasized local history and economy to the extent of proposing to include regional history in textbooks, what kind of competitiveness does he think Seochon possesses? On the 18th, we met Professor Mo at Yonsei University’s office to assess Seochon's current state and explore its future as a sustainable cultural district.

---You mentioned in 'The Capital of Alleyways' that the competitiveness of alleyways lies in the people. What is the competitiveness of the space called Seochon, and what about the people rooted there?

▶First of all, Seochon has a good name. When translated into English, Seochon is West Village. Globally, places called West Village are attractive commercial areas and preferred upscale residential neighborhoods. The West Village in New York City is a prime example.

For an alleyway commercial district to succeed, three conditions must be met: roads, architectural resources, and cultural assets. Seochon can be broadly divided into at least five areas, including Sejong Food Alley, near Daelim Museum, and Tongin Market. It has a well-laid grid structure centered on secondary roads. The second condition, architectural resources, is also excellent. Hanok (traditional Korean houses), modern buildings, contemporary structures, and architect-designed buildings coexist harmoniously. Regarding the third success factor, cultural assets, Seochon is rich with numerous workshops, galleries, and other cultural resources. If we consider only cultural and architectural resources, it is hard to find a neighborhood like Seochon in Seoul. Lastly, the most important resource for alleyway commercial districts is the shops themselves. Many of the shops in Seochon are creative. Even among restaurants, there are many experimental and artistically inspired establishments. In short, local brands abound.

Professor Mo Jong-rin, Graduate School of International Studies, Yonsei University.

---Please mention some local brands that represent the 'Seochon-ness.'

▶Daelim Museum, History Bookstore, Sejong Food Alley, Seochon Yuhee, and Jongno Public Park Noh Soo Museum are anchor facilities representing each area. Local brands representing Seochon include Ok-in Arcade, architect Hwang Doojin’s workshop, architect Jo Byungsoo’s workshop, Edition Denmark, History Bookstore, and creative chef-driven restaurants specializing in Korean, Italian, and Spanish cuisines. While anchor facilities provide public goods to the neighborhood, shops determine the neighborhood’s identity and atmosphere. Take Samcheong-dong and Seochon as examples. Samcheong-dong’s alleys are shallow, and with many large corporate brands and cosmetics stores entering, it has become a shopping area catering to Chinese tourists. When large corporate brands move in, gentrification issues arise, where original low-income residents are displaced by incoming middle-class residents. In contrast, Seochon has never received large-scale investments. It is a neighborhood that has grown centered on local shops. Although it may have experienced less development pressure from investment, it has grown steadily and experienced less impact from gentrification. It is a model commercial district.

---You have consistently emphasized fostering local brands. What should Seochon’s local brands aim for, and what local brands can only be built in Seochon?

▶Seochon-ness should be clearer in terms of style. The detached house culture in Yeonhui-dong clearly reflects residents’ living culture. The architectural resources themselves are unified and consistent. Yeonhui-dong has an unusually high number of cooking academies. Seochon, however, has fewer residents than Yeonhui-dong and is centered on artist content.

Also, there is no business identity. Hongdae is preferred and densely populated by creators such as publishers, production companies, planners, and designers. Except for artists, Seochon lacks a business identity. For Seochon to develop into a creative cultural district, cultural industries must enter. Since Seochon has abundant architectural resources, architectural studios, design offices, and architectural firms are promising, and fashion, a new type of cultural industry, could also be an alternative.

On the 15th, the first weekend after the opening of Cheong Wa Dae, many citizens visited Cheong Wa Dae in Jongno-gu, Seoul. In response to the sharp increase in pedestrian traffic due to the full opening of Cheong Wa Dae, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will pilot a car-free street on the road in front of Cheong Wa Dae (from Hyoja-dong Fountain to Chun Chu Gate) during the Cheong Wa Dae opening event period. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

---It seems that changes will come to Seochon with the relocation of the Blue House.

▶After the Blue House moves, how that space is reborn will determine whether Seochon becomes a world-class cultural creative district or a resident-centered cultural district.

---What policy support is needed to foster Seochon as a cultural creative city?

▶Modern creative cities are not large complexes but are planned as grid-shaped, walkable, and business-friendly neighborhoods. Let’s talk about Seochon’s road environment. If we call the 2-4 lane streets with good pedestrian environments secondary roads, I have envisioned a network of secondary roads needed in the Gwanghwamun area. On other secondary roads, reducing lanes, widening sidewalks, and improving intersections would suffice.

First, Cheongwadae-ro should be turned into a commercial street to integrate Seochon and Samcheong-dong. Cheongwadae-ro connects Seochon and Samcheong-dong. Without this street, the two commercial districts cannot connect. The Seoul city government says it regularly operates car-free streets, but I am not sure if car-free streets alone can provide sufficient density and serendipity of attractions. Appropriate levels of commercial and cultural facilities should be arranged to create a semi-commercial street.

If connecting via Cheongwadae-ro is insufficient, Jahamun-ro, currently functioning as a main arterial road, should reduce lanes and widen sidewalks to convert into a secondary road. Roads connecting Segumjeong and downtown should be newly built or Jahamun-ro should be undergrounded. A capable architect could create a route connecting Jahamun-ro 10-gil in Seochon and Bukchon-ro 5-gil in Samcheong-dong without damaging Gyeongbokgung Palace.

This is a project to improve the pedestrian environment of Sajik-ro 8-gil, a southern secondary road of Sajik-ro. It will improve when Gwanghwamun Square opens, but currently, the path leading to the U.S. Embassy is inadequate. A vast cultural district integrating Seochon, Samcheong-dong, Bukchon, and Gye-dong east-west, and Gyeongbokgung, Gwanghwamun, and Cheonggyecheon north-south can be created. I believe this can be easily established by improving secondary roads alone.

---How should the Blue House area be developed to become a sustainable creative city?

▶The Blue House area is relatively easy to build a grid-shaped city. The problem to solve is the disconnection between Seochon and Samcheong-dong commercial districts. Appropriate cultural and commercial facilities should be placed on Cheongwadae-ro, which connects these two areas, to integrate Seochon and Samcheong-dong into one commercial district.

---Please explain in detail. What alleyway policies are there for the Blue House surroundings after the relocation of the Blue House office?

▶The car-free streets and park paths that the government has announced have limitations in attracting people. The empty spaces adjacent to the Blue House should be used appropriately. Building many large buildings indiscriminately breaks pedestrian flow. How about placing landmark commercial facilities like Starbucks Reserve Roastery near the Blue House’s Chunghwagwan? The recent opening of the Blue House has become a hot topic, but to encourage visitors not to stay only there but to move to adjacent commercial districts, commercial facilities should be included to connect pedestrian flow. Another idea is to demolish one Blue House building and build an art museum. Just as the Terra Rosa complex cultural space inside the Museum of Modern Art creates synergy, having a large art museum and a large complex cultural space would help revitalize the northern Blue House commercial district. When connectivity with surrounding commercial districts, attractions, and serendipity are in place, the neighborhood becomes more interesting.