Abandoned Jongno Songhyeon-dong Site Opened to Public for the First Time in 100 Years... Temporary Opening from the 7th

The site view of Songhyeon-dong where the 'Lee Kun-hee Donation Hall (tentative name)' is scheduled to be built. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporters Kim Hyemin and Hwang Seoyul] The 'Songhyeon-dong site' in Jongno-gu, which had been surrounded by high walls for over 100 years, has completed its renovation and will be opened to the public on the 7th.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 6th that it will temporarily open the site as an open green plaza starting at 5:30 PM on the 7th. This is a temporary opening of the entire site as a green plaza for about two years until December 2024, ahead of the construction project of the Lee Kun-hee Donation Hall (tentative name). The Songhyeon-dong site covers an area of 37,117 square meters, which is three times the size of Seoul Plaza.

The city lowered the 4-meter-high barrier surrounding the entire site to a 1.2-meter stone wall and created a 10,000 square meter lawn plaza in the center. Around it, wildflower colonies such as cosmos and zinnia were planted.

The area connecting Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon, which was blocked by the Songhyeon-dong site, is now connected through pedestrian paths inside the plaza. Walking along the pedestrian path crossing the plaza naturally leads from Cheongwadae to Gwanghwamun Plaza, Insadong, and the alleys of Bukchon.

On the 6th, at the Songhyeon-dong site near Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Before the full-scale construction of the 'Lee Kun-hee Donation Hall' begins, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will redevelop the entire 36,642㎡ Songhyeon-dong site into an open green plaza and open it to the public by the first half of 2024. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

This site was mainly inhabited by royalty during the Joseon Dynasty, then in 1910, during the Japanese colonial period, the Joseon Industrial Bank staff housing was built there. After liberation, it was used as accommodation for U.S. Embassy staff until 1997. Ownership then transferred from the Korean government to Samsung Life Insurance and later to Korean Air, leaving the site abandoned for 20 years. After Seoul announced a park development plan in June 2020, the site returned to public land.

Through a tripartite agreement among Korean Air, Seoul City, and Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH), the ownership was transferred from Korean Air to LH in early July this year, and it is expected to be transferred to Seoul City soon.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The city plans to hold various cultural and artistic events during the temporary opening period. From May to October next year, the Seoul Architecture Biennale will be held at the Songhyeon-dong site. Discussions are also underway to hold 'Frieze Seoul,' a world-class art fair held for the first time in Seoul this year, at this location next year. Starting in 2025, work will begin to transform the remaining area into a cultural park centered around the Lee Kun-hee Donation Hall.

Currently, a 'Songhyeon Cultural Park (tentative name) Basic Plan' has been prepared, with design guidelines set, and an integrated spatial plan will be developed through an international competition in the first half of next year. An integrated parking lot (about 450 spaces), including a tourist bus parking lot (50 spaces), will be constructed in the underground space beneath the park.

To commemorate the temporary opening, the city will hold the 'Autumn Moonlight Songhyeon' event on the afternoon of the 7th. The event will combine an opening ceremony and a concert, with about 300 attendees including Mayor Oh Se-hoon.