[One Day Walk] A Clean Water Rest Area in the City... Cheonggyecheon

Today's walking course takes us to Cheonggyecheon.

Citizens are walking along Cheonggyecheon Stream, a great place to walk in harmony with nature. Photo by Huh Younghan younghan@

Boasting a history of over 600 years, Cheonggyecheon is a stream that runs along Jongno-gu and Jung-gu in Seoul, extending all the way to Wangsimni. The water flowing down from Cheonggyecheon meets the Jungnangcheon and flows into the Han River. Stretching about 10 km in length, Cheonggyecheon has functioned as an urban stream in downtown Seoul since the Joseon Dynasty. In the 1950s, there was a time when Cheonggyecheon disappeared into history as it was covered over and a road was built in its place during a covering project. However, Seoul City restored Cheonggyecheon through a restoration project, bringing it back to its current form. Today's walking course is designed to start from Cheonggye Plaza and enjoy the 'Eight Views of Cheonggyecheon.'

The starting point of the course is Cheonggye Plaza. Cheonggye Plaza is a small plaza created at the source of Cheonggyecheon. The name Cheonggye Plaza was given by the Seoul City Naming Committee in 2005 during the Cheonggyecheon restoration project. Located near Seoul City Hall, this place serves as the entrance to Cheonggyecheon and features a candlelight fountain with tri-colored lighting and a two-tier waterfall.

Walking along the Cheonggyecheon riverside path from Cheonggye Plaza toward Euljiro, you will come across Gwangtonggyo Bridge. Gwangtonggyo was the largest bridge over Cheonggyecheon during the Joseon Dynasty and was called Gwangtonggyo or Gwanggyo because it was located in an area called Gwangtongbang. At that time, it was the main thoroughfare connecting Yukjo Street and Sungnyemun Gate, and it is said to have been the bridge with the most foot traffic. Gwangtonggyo was also restored during the Cheonggyecheon restoration project.

The next bridge is Samilgyo Bridge. Samilgyo takes its name from the nearby road, Samil-ro. Samil-ro was named to commemorate the nationwide protest movements against Japanese oppression following the March 1st Independence Declaration at Tapgol Park in March 1919.

Following that is Supyo Bridge, which was a bridge where a water level measuring stone (supyo-seok) was placed to monitor flood levels in Cheonggyecheon. During the covering project, the original Joseon Dynasty bridge was relocated to Jangchungdan Park. When restoring Cheonggyecheon, there was an attempt to return Supyo Bridge to its original location, but it could not be moved because the width of the restored Cheonggyecheon and the length of the bridge did not match. The Supyo Bridge currently at the site is a temporary structure.

Saebyeokgyo Bridge is the last bridge encountered on today's course. This bridge has a unique shape and was designed to evoke the history of Dongdaemun traditional market by applying the image of market tents. The name Saebyeokgyo, meaning "Dawn Bridge," was given to capture the vibrancy and nostalgia of the dawn market. After crossing Saebyeokgyo and heading toward Gwangjang Market near Majanggyo Bridge, today's course concludes.