[Yeouido Renaissance] Yeouido Park, Once Dividing East and West, Transformed into a World-Class Urban Cultural Park

Creating New Added Value Through Restructuring
Building the 2nd Sejong Cultural Center as a Waterfront Landmark

Yeouido Park, which had caused a division between the east and west sides in the heart of Yeouido, is being reborn as a world-class urban cultural park. Within the park, the ‘Second Sejong Center for the Performing Arts’ will be constructed as a waterfront landmark connected to Hangang Park, expected to generate various economic and cultural added values.

Winning Entry of the 2nd Sejong Cultural Center Planning Design Competition in Yeouido Park - Switzerland, DURIG AG

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon plans to transform Yeouido Park, which had remained a simple neighborhood park for rest and walks, into a world-class urban cultural park. An urban cultural park refers to a park centered around cultural facilities representing the city, with abundant green spaces. Representative examples include Millennium Park in Chicago and Bryant Park in New York, which offer various cultural events linked with the Art Institute of Chicago and outdoor music halls, enhancing the city’s image as the top tourist destination in the U.S. Midwest and attracting 25 million visitors annually.

Yeouido Park is located on the site of a runway according to the Yeouido development plan that began in 1968. It was developed into a plaza in 1972 and opened as Yeouido Park in January 1999. Covering an area of 229,539㎡ (about 70,000 pyeong), it accounts for approximately 8% of Yeouido. However, despite its central location, it has been criticized for dividing Yeouido north to south, causing a disconnect between the east and west sides and lowering Yeouido’s spatial status. Consequently, the need for restructuring has been continuously raised. Mayor Oh shared the vision for the Yeouido Park restructuring project during his visit to cultural and artistic facilities in Hamburg, Germany, on a business trip to Europe last March.

Winning Entry of the 2nd Sejong Cultural Center Planning Design Competition in Yeouido Park - Beom Architects & Associates Co., Ltd.

Seoul City plans to remodel Yeouido Park, aiming to start construction in 2026. The upper part of the park will be developed into waterfront, cultural, and ecological zones, reflecting Yeouido’s urban spatial structure and connecting with the surrounding areas.

The most notable feature is the Second Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, which will be located in the waterfront cultural park. Seoul City plans to connect the Second Sejong Center with Hangang Park to create a new waterfront cultural landmark for Seoul. On the 20th of last month, Seoul City announced the selection of five winning designs for the Second Sejong Center, which will serve as the blueprint. The evaluation focused on the feasibility and potential of establishing a landmark representing Seoul, based on necessary uses and areas such as a large theater, cultural facilities, various attraction facilities for global tourists, and an underground parking lot.

Hong Seon-gi, Director of Future Space Planning at Seoul City, said, "We will do our best to build a Hangang waterfront landmark befitting Yeouido’s elevated status as an urban center based on the winning designs," adding, "The Second Sejong Center will be developed as an open, complex cultural space where citizens can comfortably visit and enjoy cultural activities."

Meanwhile, the southwestern area of Seoul, including Yeouido, currently lacks performance venue infrastructure. Among the three major urban centers, Gwanghwamun has the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, and Gangnam has the Seoul Arts Center, but Yeouido and Yeongdeungpo lack representative performance halls. A Seoul City official stated, "Yeouido Park, including the Second Sejong Center, will become a hub for cultural balanced development and exchange, thereby strengthening Yeouido’s role as an urban center."