[Walking Through Seoul] Seoul Where Diversity Coexists: The Most Vibrant Southwest Region

Redeveloped Apartment Complexes and Multi-Family or Studio Units Coexist
Comprehensive Overhaul Remains Challenging
Small but Practical Improvements Needed,
Such as Installing Pocket Parks Throughout Neighborhoods

For foreigners, Seoul mainly conjures images of the historic area within the Four Great Gates or the glamorous downtown of Gangnam. The globally popular Korean pop culture also clearly reflects what this area symbolizes. However, Seoul is much larger and more diverse than that. If I were to highlight Seoul's diversity, I would point to the southwestern region, spanning from Gangseo-gu to Gwanak-gu, home to about 3 million people.

Accounting for about 27% of Seoul's total area and roughly 30% of its population, this region is broadly divided into three zones. Gangseo-gu and Yangcheon-gu were incorporated into Seoul later but were primarily developed as middle-class residential areas. Yeongdeungpo-gu, Guro-gu, and Geumcheon-gu, located along the Gyeongbu Line, were developed as industrial zones since the Japanese colonial period. Dongjak-gu and Gwanak-gu, due to their hilly terrain, were difficult to develop and remained low-income residential areas for a long time but have recently seen redevelopment with new apartment complexes.

Grouped into zones with distinct characteristics, the southwestern region has always attracted attention in urban planning due to its large area and population, and its history is quite fascinating, almost like a testing ground for urban planning. The biggest features of this area are the planned construction of new towns on vacant land and the transformation of industrial zones into commercial and residential spaces.

Mullae-dong, once filled with factories, has transformed into a hot place as an art village while maintaining its old spaces. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Yeouido, part of Yeongdeungpo-gu, was land left vacant after being used as an Air Force base until 1971 following liberation. This empty land was developed into the first new town starting in the early 1970s and became a symbol of the so-called "Miracle on the Han River." By the early 1980s, large apartment complexes were built on vacant lots next to Anyangcheon in Mok-dong, rising as the "Gangnam of the southwest region." The developments in Yeouido and Mok-dong were experimental in many ways. In 1970s Seoul, Yeouido's grid-like roads and apartment complex layout were very unique, and the 12-story model apartments were the tallest at the time. Additionally, the green space secured in the Mok-dong apartment complexes influenced subsequent apartment developments.

Entering the 2000s, the southwestern region stirred again. As Korea entered the ranks of developed countries, the residential spaces for working-class people who had moved from rapidly growing economic areas to relatively poor neighborhoods like Bongcheon-dong and Sillim-dong began to be redeveloped. This redevelopment, initiated to improve living conditions, was sometimes regarded as a form of urban regeneration, an act of updating the city to fit the times.

A representative example of urban regeneration that cannot be overlooked is the old Guro Industrial Complex, also located in the southwest region. As the industrial landscape shifted from labor-intensive manufacturing with low wages to technology and knowledge-based industries centered on skilled professionals, the Guro Industrial Complex, once a symbol of manufacturing, inevitably had to change. During the redevelopment of the vast site into a technology and knowledge-based industrial zone, residential and shopping spaces were included. At the same time, conscious of the need to preserve history, some old factories were retained and repurposed. For example, cultural facilities like the G-Valley Industrial Museum and the Guro Industrial Complex Workers' Life Experience Center function as tributes to the workers of the past era who contributed to the "Miracle on the Han River."

Not all of the southwestern region has changed completely. Mullae-dong, once filled with factories from the Japanese colonial period, preserved its characteristics and naturally transformed into an art village. It has long been a hot place, even carrying a newtro sensibility.

In Guro Industrial Complex, old buildings coexist with newly constructed ones. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The southwestern region also retains many traditional markets, some of which are popular among newly arrived residents and foreign immigrants. For example, the area around Daerim Central Market, where many Joseonjok and Chinese immigrants live, has emerged as a new "Chinatown," bustling with activity. The relatively affordable housing attracts not only workers and merchants but also professionals, entrepreneurs, young office workers, and students, making it a unique area where diverse foreigners live together. Thus, this area reflects the lives of Seoul's working-class people as shown in films like "Parasite" and "Squid Game," but it also showcases the coexistence of advanced knowledge industries and diverse foreign immigrants. This scene seems to hint at Seoul's near future.

It is not difficult to predict that Seoul will develop into a city with even more diverse characteristics. Among them, I expect the southwestern region of Seoul to be at the forefront of fascinating changes more than any other area. Yeouido and Mok-dong, products of the "Miracle on the Han River," the newly reborn factory zones as future industrial centers, and areas where students, young office workers, and foreign immigrants can live affordably all come together?this is the hallmark and hope of the southwestern region.

This hope does not guarantee a rosy future. There are significant challenges to overcome to become a better place to live. The affordable housing in this area mainly consists of multi-family houses or one-room units. Consequently, adjacent roads are very narrow, and green spaces are lacking. In other words, the residential environment is far from ideal. There is also a large gap in infrastructure and living quality between apartment complexes and multi-family housing areas. Since supplying affordable housing within the city is important, redeveloping everything into flashy apartments is not desirable. However, delaying improvements to the residential environment in densely packed multi-family housing areas is also not an option. Of course, it is not possible to demand drastic changes immediately.

So why not start with what is realistically feasible right now? For example, paying a little more attention to securing green spaces and road maintenance would yield definite results. Creating small-scale "pocket parks" here and there is another method. One might wonder if a few trees and benches can bring significant change, but in places with no greenery at all, such changes can greatly improve the environment. Taking a step further, clearly marking pedestrian paths and planting street trees could be beneficial. Residents' satisfaction in the area would rise significantly. If such small but meaningful changes are gradually attempted, the southwestern region could emerge as a new model for micro-scale residential environment improvement within Seoul and become a catalyst for urban environmental change. The history so far speaks to this potential.

Robert Fauzer, Former Professor at Seoul National University