Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism... Danginri Power Plant, Cultural Creation Power Plant Construction Officially Launched... Target Completion in 2025
Danginri Cultural Creation Power Plant Scheduled to Open in December 2025... Seogang-dong and Hapjeong-dong to Transform Significantly
Home to Various Modern Historical and Cultural Heritage Sites Including Korea’s First Coal-Fired Power Plant, Jeoldusan Martyrs’ Shrine, and Foreigners’ Cemetery
Park Gang-su, District Mayor: “A Representative Cultural Heritage Encompassing Modern and Contemporary History, We Will Actively Uncover It and Establish a New Model for Cultural Tourism Development”
Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo District, visited the Dangi-dong thermal power plant last December to discuss development directions.
The news that Mapo-gu’s Danginri Thermal Power Plant Unit 4.5, Korea’s first coal-fired power plant, is being reborn as a ‘Cultural Creation Power Plant’ has brought renewed attention to the hidden modern and contemporary historical cultural heritage of Mapo-gu.
Danginri Thermal Power Plant, built in 1930 in Dangin-dong, Mapo-gu, was Korea’s first coal-fired power plant and the only power plant in Seoul until the 1950s.
Subsequently, Units 4 and 5 were completed consecutively in 1969 and 1971, and in the 1970s, it supplied 75% of Seoul’s electricity, making it a representative industrial heritage that led Korea’s economic growth.
On the 17th of last month, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held a groundbreaking ceremony and announced plans to transform the decommissioned Danginri Thermal Power Plant Units 4 and 5 into a complex cultural space covering a site area of 81,650㎡ and a total floor area of 14,694㎡ (2 basement floors and 6 above-ground floors).
Unit 4 of the power plant will be converted into cultural facilities such as exhibition halls, performance venues, and creative project rooms, while Unit 5 will be preserved in its original form as a modern industrial heritage site to serve as an exhibition space where visitors can vividly experience the history of Korea’s first thermal power plant.
The rooftop of Units 4 and 5, standing 18 meters high (5 floors), will be connected into a single rooftop plaza overlooking the Han River, and a walkway will be constructed on the building’s exterior wall on the 4th floor to connect the Danginri Cultural Creation Power Plant with the surrounding interior and exterior spaces in three dimensions, allowing pedestrians to enjoy views of the Han River while walking.
With the completion of the Dangin-dong resident convenience facilities scheduled for the end of 2024 and the Danginri Cultural Creation Power Plant by December 2025, the Seogang and Hapjeong-dong areas are expected to transform into spaces where residents, who have long suffered from the power plant’s impact, can enjoy various amenities and cultural activities, becoming a popular local attraction for many citizens.
Historically, Mapo was a key hub of economic activity where ships from across the country entered and cargo was consolidated through Mapo Naru, Seogang Naru, and Yanghwa Naru, forming a market street.
Leveraging this geographical advantage, Mapo rapidly developed as a gateway port during the late Joseon period, but also experienced turbulent history such as the 1866 Catholic persecution incident, when the French fleet advanced up to Hajung-dong in Seogang, sparking the French Campaign against Korea (Byeongin Yangyo).
In particular, Mapo was the first place to embrace Western civilization and is home to nationally designated cultural assets such as Jeoldusan Martyrs’ Shrine and the foreigners’ missionary cemetery, making it a city that holds representative cultural heritage marking a significant chapter in Korea’s modern history alongside the nearby Danginri Thermal Power Plant.
Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “The Danginri Cultural Creation Power Plant is expected to preserve the historical value of the thermal power plant while evolving into a high-quality cultural space for residents.” He added, “Moreover, industrial and cultural heritage such as Danginri Thermal Power Plant centered around Yanghwa Naru and Jeoldusan Martyrs’ Shrine are valuable tourism assets of Mapo that align with the Hongdae Red Road axis.”
He continued, “Mapo-gu will actively uncover the historical and cultural values of the region to enhance the city’s status and use this as an innovative model for urban regeneration and cultural tourism district development.”
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