[Seoul's Future] Seoul Was a Port... Why the Faces of Mapo People Were Darkened

War Draws the Armistice Line, Blocking West Sea Shipping Routes
Saeujeot and Salt Sellers Lose Livelihoods
Remaining Ferry Ports Closed with Construction of Hangang Bridge

Until the 1940s, it is said that people in Seoul could identify someone from Mapo just by looking at their face. Here is a story from the Mapo district section of "Dongmyeong Yeonhyeokgo," published by the Seoul Special City History Compilation Committee, titled "Mapo Shrimp Sauce Seller, Wangsimni Water Parsley Seller."

"According to a story passed down orally from the Joseon Dynasty, a person with a neck tanned black was called the Wangsimni Water Parsley Seller, and a person with a face tanned black was called the Mapo Shrimp Sauce Seller. The reason is that those coming from Wangsimni to sell water parsley inside the city in the morning had their necks tanned by the morning sun on their backs, while those coming from Mapo to sell shrimp sauce inside the city in the morning had their faces tanned black by facing the morning sun."

Mapo Ferry Terminal at the Time of Liberation (Photo by National Archives)

"Seoul was a port connected by the West Sea waterway"

Mapo, formed in the early Joseon period, was the largest port in Seoul where the waterway connected to the West Sea. Seoul was essentially a port city. Shrimp sauce, salt, fish, and other goods coming up from the West Sea spread through Mapo to various parts of Seoul, as well as to the Gangwon Province area and inland regions of Gyeongsang Province. Its commercial influence even reached Haeju and Pyongyang. It was so closely connected to the sea that there was a saying, "Mapo people don't even find plain rice bland."

However, after the Korean War in June 1950, the armistice line dividing North and South blocked the lower Han River, cutting off the waterway to the West Sea. As a result, Mapo Ferry lost its function overnight. People from Mapo could no longer tan their faces selling shrimp sauce or salt under the sun. This was devastating news for those whose livelihoods depended on the West Sea waterway.

Nevertheless, ferry terminals continued to exist until the 1960s to connect the southern and northern parts of the Han River. Mapo, Gwangjin, Seogang, Songpa, Nodeul, and Yanghwajin were all key transportation hubs. Merchants, students, and office workers who needed to cross the river took ferries daily. Boatmen rowed without rest except during the freezing winter months. If someone called out in the middle of the night, even a single passenger would be rowed for.

However, accidents involving passengers falling into the water and boats capsizing occurred repeatedly. With the construction of Han River bridges and Seoul's urbanization, ferry terminals gradually disappeared. Boatmen who had considered this their lifelong livelihood lost their jobs and had to find new work or move to ferry terminals in other regions.

The reopened West Sea waterway

Fifty years have passed since Seoul became a "city without ferries." Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is promoting Han River Renaissance 2.0, aiming to distribute the function of crossing the Han River, which shifted from ferries to bridges, now to aerial gondolas. He also plans to reopen the closed West Sea waterway and establish Seoul Port by 2026 to revive Seoul as a port city. Instead of transporting salt, boats will carry domestic and international tourists, contributing to Seoul's leap as a global city.

This is Mayor Oh's second attempt. During his first term in 2006, he planned "Han River Renaissance 1.0," which included a ferry route from Gimpo to Yongsan and ports for passenger ships at Yongsan and Yeouido. However, in 2011, the Seoul Metropolitan Council questioned the project's feasibility and cut related budgets, and the plan to establish Seoul Port was scrapped after former Mayor Park Won-soon took office.