[Seoul's Future] "Seochon is a Historic Downtown... Current Value Must Be Preserved"

[Asia Economy Reporters Byungdon Yoo and Sehee Jang] The '2022 Seoul Future Forum,' themed on the future of Seoul and Seochon, was held at the Press Center in Jung-gu. In the first discussion titled 'Historical Review and Grand Design,' experts emphasized Seochon as a 'historic downtown' and argued that its current value must be preserved.

"Seochon Development Should Balance Appropriate Preservation"

Robert Fauzer, former professor at Seoul National University and a panelist at the discussion, argued that an appropriate level of preservation should accompany Seochon's development. Professor Fauzer stated, “Inside Seoul’s Four Great Gates, there are areas of significant historical importance,” and emphasized, “At least within the Four Great Gates, indiscriminate development should not be permitted.”

Professor Fauzer particularly focused on Seochon's function as a residential area that still remains. He explained, “Seoul has many neighborhoods, but in the case of Seochon, many people still live there,” adding, “Development projects should be carried out to suit Seochon’s characteristic as a living residential area for its residents.” He further noted, “Terms like large-scale development or complete demolition do not suit Seochon,” and added, “Small-scale development should be prioritized to preserve Seochon’s historical significance.”

Professor Fauzer pointed to Washington DC in the United States and Paris in France as benchmarking examples for Seochon’s development. Washington DC passed a building height restriction law in 1988 that prohibits any building from exceeding the 88-meter height of the Capitol building. As a result, large-scale development became impossible within Washington DC, and instead, the nearby Arlington area in Virginia developed significantly. While this might be regrettable from Washington DC’s perspective, the city’s tradition is maintained without reckless overdevelopment, especially since the Capitol, the center of democracy, is located there.

Paris is similar. To preserve cultural heritage, Paris includes private or personal properties in its management scope. This is based on the idea that not only buildings with important historical significance as cultural assets but also the surrounding environment and spaces must be preserved. Under this law, the state also supports the costs of preserving private properties near cultural heritage sites.

Professor Fauzer concluded, “As seen in these two cities, if an area has historical significance, a proper balance between development and regulation must be achieved at the national level,” and added, “A ‘guideline’ or ‘master plan’ is needed to balance the overall preservation, development, business, and residential aspects of the Seochon area.”

"Seochon’s Future Assets Should Be Database-Driven"

Na-kyung Yoo, director of PMA Engineering Urban Environment Research Institute, also viewed that Seochon’s regional value has increased in response to expert proposals and contemporary demands. He stated, “Since 2008, urban management has enhanced the value of areas with historical and cultural landscapes such as Bukchon, Insadong, and Jeongdong, as well as Myeongdong, Gwancheol-dong, and Bukchang-dong by discovering their unique characteristics,” and added, “The 2008 Hanok Declaration served as an opportunity to revisit the value of areas previously limited to Bukchon and Insadong, extending to the west side of Gyeongbokgung Palace and Seochon, where redevelopment projects were underway.”

Director Yoo analyzed that recently, Seochon is attempting to connect its regional value with economic value. He emphasized, “Changes in the Seochon market have been detected recently,” and said, “The private market is creating familiar yet uniquely distinctive spaces by preserving the characteristics of old traditions and adding new elements on top.” He further explained, “The concept of Seochon Yuhee, a horizontal hotel concept, is expanding to integrate the Seochon area, spreading public interest even more.”

Director Yoo explained, “Recently, there have been many cases of renovating abandoned empty houses that bear traces of time and someone’s life, like antique products, to give them new life,” citing examples such as Rental House Ihwarua in Ihwa-dong, Turtle Supermarket in Ikseon-dong, and Ikdong Cafe, which preserve old traditions’ characteristics while adding new elements to create unique spaces.

Director Yoo advised that to utilize Seochon as a national future asset, detailed information must be 'database-driven.' In fact, Vienna provides basic urban information along with detailed data such as construction periods, architects, and preservation status of buildings by parcel in its city map service. Birmingham has built Connecting Histories, allowing residents to directly update related documents and photos centered on existing published materials about people and places. He analyzed that such data will help discover potential resources in the future and serve as an archive connecting the past and present.

Director Yoo said, “The more work is done to find the value of existing buildings and their locations, the more it is necessary to integrate and share scattered data so that ordinary citizens and stakeholders can use the places according to their purposes.”