[Seoul's Future] Nodle Island, Where Baekro Birds Roamed, Was Originally Not an Island

Becoming a Complete Island Through Han River Development Plan
Abandoned Land Gains Attention Under Mayors Lee Myung-bak and Oh Se-hoon
New Face Drawn Through International Design Competition After Setbacks

The Han River is home to numerous islands, both large and small. Yeouido, Seonyudo, Bamseom, Nodeulseom... Among these, the name Nodeulseom originates from the meaning "stepping stones (梁) where herons (鷺) used to play." Nodeulseom is located in the middle of the Han River, between Dongjak-gu and Yongsan-gu, with the Hangang Bridge passing directly over the island.

In fact, Nodeulseom was not originally an island. It was a wide sandy beach attached to Ichon-dong in Yongsan-gu. During the Japanese colonial period in 1917, Japan built a steel pedestrian bridge connecting Ichon-dong and Noryangjin, and by piling up sand here, the area began to transform into an island. At that time, it was called Jungjido (中之島), not Nodeulseom.

Nodulseom during the Jungjido era
[Image source=Seoul City]

Until the 1950s and 1960s, Jungjido was bustling with people who came to gather mugwort and shepherd's purse in spring and enjoy river bathing in summer.

However, due to the Han River development plan that began in the late 1960s, it became a complete island as it is today. The Han River embankment road (now Gangbyeonbuk-ro) was constructed along the Ichon-dong coast, and sand from the Jungjido beach was used for the embankment, with the gaps filled by river water. This naturally caused people to stop visiting.

In 1969, the Han River Development Tourism Company reclaimed the surrounding area, expanding Jungjido from about 10,000 pyeong to approximately 45,000 pyeong. A cement embankment was also built, giving the island its current shape. It has been less than 30 years since Jungjido was renamed Nodeulseom, which happened in 1995 as part of a movement to correct historical place names by removing Japanese-style names.

Nodul Island [Image source=Seoul City]

The abandoned land in the middle of the Han River regained attention in 2005 when then Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak announced plans to build an opera house there. Mayor Oh Se-hoon tried to continue this as part of the "Han River Renaissance" project, but due to enormous costs and traffic issues, the budget did not pass the Seoul City Council, and with Mayor Oh stepping down mid-term, Nodeulseom lost its way again.

Subsequently, former Mayor Park Won-soon completely scrapped the opera house plan and created community gardens west of the Hangang Bridge, leasing plots to citizens. Efforts to reinvent Nodeulseom continued through citizen forums, idea contests, and expert workshops. As a result, in 2019, Nodeulseom was reborn as a music island where natural ecological forests and complex cultural spaces coexist. However, the gray-painted buildings earned the nickname "prison," and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the island failed to attract many visitors.

Ultimately, Mayor Oh decided to redraw Nodeulseom's image. In February, he announced Seoul's urban and architectural design innovation plan, selecting Nodeulseom as the first pilot project site. Following this, on the 20th, Seoul City revealed the future vision of Nodeulseom to citizens through the Nodeul Global Art Island Design Competition Forum. Renowned architects from Korea and abroad visited Nodeulseom and the Han River area to create their works.

Seoul City requested architects to develop a basic concept plan encompassing five themes: △ an art pedestrian bridge (Art Bridge) offering diverse cultural experiences while cruising the Han River, △ a new icon of Nodeulseom offering aerial views of the Han River (Sky Trail and Sunset Observatory), △ a waterfront space that changes dynamically with the Han River's water level (Boundless Shore), △ a three-dimensional waterfront space that brings people closer to the Han River (Popup Wall), and △ a floating performance stage set against the backdrop of the Han River and Yeouido sunset (Water Art Stage).

Seoul City aims to transform Nodeulseom into a landmark with innovative design that enhances urban competitiveness, similar to the Metropol Parasol in Seville, Spain, and the Vessel in New York, USA, by referring to the design concepts.

Mayor Oh said, "If you look at the map of Seoul, Nodeulseom is right in the center, but until now, it has not been a particularly attractive space. This time, we will maximize its appeal and improve accessibility so that it can be reborn as an art island loved by Seoul citizens and perhaps people worldwide." He added, "The ideas from participating artists serve as catalysts to stimulate our boundless imagination. We may adopt one idea or combine several to create a fusion, so I hope everyone enjoys the process of making Nodeulseom a work of art together."

Seoul City plans to hold exhibitions in May at City Hall, Nodeulseom, and other locations to showcase the design competition works to citizens. Afterward, in June, they will gather public opinions and expert advice to establish the "Nodeulseom Development Project Plan," followed by administrative procedures such as investment review and public property management planning.

The Nodeulseom development project will proceed by dividing it into themes such as pedestrian bridges and observatories rather than as a single integrated development for faster progress. Once the specific project methods are decided, a detailed design competition will be held again for the seven architectural teams that participated in this competition.

Hong Seon-gi, Seoul City's Future Space Planning Officer, explained, "Depending on the project budget, projects under 50 billion KRW can complete basic design and start construction by next year, while large projects exceeding 50 billion KRW are expected to begin construction in 2025 after investment review."