[Choi Jun-young's Urban Pilgrimage] How Did Seoul Become a Global City?

Seoul recently entered the top 10 in the ‘Best Cities to Start a Business’ ranking conducted by Startup Genome, which evaluates major cities worldwide. This is the highest ranking ever for Seoul, rising six places compared to last year’s survey. For the first time, it surpassed Tokyo, Japan (ranked 12th). The most significant factor was that Seoul has now firmly established itself as a global city. The phrase ‘Beautiful Seoul’ had long been regarded as a clich?d propaganda, but at some point, people around the world have come to perceive Seoul that way. This change is unfamiliar and bewildering to the middle-aged and older generations who used to see Seoul as a bleak place filled only with buildings, somewhere they always wanted to leave.

When good results come out, people are curious about whose role was the biggest. However, looking through Seoul’s urban planning history, surprisingly, such clear figures do not stand out. What created today’s Seoul was less about rational words like planning, system, and analysis, and more about subjective emotions such as ‘improvisation’ and ‘fear.’

Passing through the neatly divided Gangnam area, one might think it was systematically planned and developed step by step, but the fact that this was not the case is gradually being forgotten. Behind the official documents related to urban planning in the past, the common feeling sensed is not a rosy expectation or hope for the future, but rather a weariness of chaotic development. After the Korean War, Seoul became a disorderly mess due to the influx of people. Efforts were made belatedly to correct this situation, but it was not easy. Everyone clearly realized that it is impossible to fix problems immediately after they arise.

Though hard to imagine now, Seoul’s urban development until the early 1990s was like walking a tightrope. Without a budget, plans could not be executed. Therefore, conversely, Seoul’s long-standing fate was to make money through planning and use that money to build the city. Land was created by reclaiming ownerless rivers and sold to raise funds. Ironically, the neighborhoods created this way are now the highly preferred riverside areas such as Banpo, Apgujeong, Dongbu Ichon-dong, and Yeouido in 2022. The biggest threat to developing land along the Han River was flooding, but the construction of several dams, including Soyanggang Dam, made it possible to develop with peace of mind. Like other matters, ‘luck’ was a key factor in the growth and development of the city.

The Gangnam area south of the Han River, now the core of Seoul, also owes its current state to luck. The development of Gangnam began with the construction of Hannam Bridge at a ferry crossing where a boat capsized causing massive casualties. For Seoul city officials, the future seemed certain. The south side of the Han River, now easily accessible, was inevitably going to experience uncontrolled development. The idea that at least minimal infrastructure should be secured to prevent this was naturally accepted. Memories of the war-like process of demolishing existing houses and shops every time a new road was built or expanded in downtown Seoul led to the creation of a wide road with more than 10 lanes, hoping that no further road expansion would be needed in the distant future. The struggles of finding land to build schools led to the designation of various school sites. The strong desire to prevent uncontrolled development shaped the appearance of Gangnam.

However, the supply of land far exceeded demand, leaving land inventory unsold. Under normal circumstances, Seoul might have been listed among cities that went bankrupt due to reckless projects. Though hard to accept now, local governments originally operate by selling land. The money earned is used to build infrastructure, foster industries, increase population, and collect sufficient property taxes to run the city, all while walking a tightrope. The 1970s were a time when the nightmare of the ‘Han River crossing’ during the Korean War was still vividly alive, and this memory ultimately saved Gangnam.

The logic that government agencies in Gangbuk should relocate to Gangnam in preparation for wartime was reasonably accepted, and naturally, the employees were expected to move as well. However, forcibly relocating public officials had its limits, and to attract more people, the ban on new entertainment facilities in Gangbuk and unlimited permission in Gangnam was implemented. To draw people seeking a stable life, prestigious high schools were relocated. Looking back now, this is seen as the ultimate form of favoritism, but at the time, Gangnam land had to be sold for the city to operate.

Even with these measures, what saved Gangnam, which still had much vacant land, was the automobile. Roads and apartment parking spaces, once considered unnecessarily wide, became decisive advantages that differentiated Gangnam from other areas in the era of private cars. To prevent land bought for speculation from lying idle, high-rise buildings were forcibly constructed, and Teheran-ro, once filled with empty buildings, became a base for venture startups during the Asian financial crisis, leading to another wave of growth.

Urban growth does not proceed as intended. It takes a long time to establish and implement plans, and many changing factors distort and frustrate the original intentions. The fact that the city has many facets means there were many twists and turns and accidental elements involved. Behind Seoul’s rise as a global city lies a time when everything was lacking and everyone struggled hard.

Choi Jun-young, Specialist, Yulchon LLC