[Walking Through Seoul] "Seoul Future Heritage": Rediscovering Old Neighborhoods

Preserving Heritage Amid Rapid Change in Korea
Through the Seoul Future Heritage System
Safeguarding the City's Intangible Memories

In mid-March, I visited Washington D.C. after a long time to attend the opening ceremony of an exhibition related to the Korean diaspora around the world, featuring my photo taken in Osaka Korea Town. On the last day, I took a leisurely tour of the city. I went to the Renwick Gallery near the White House and recalled a street nearby where the phrase "Black Lives Matter" was written on the ground. I wanted to see this historic site. But, oh my! The phrase was being erased. Shocked, I searched and was even more stunned. It was said that after Trump’s election in 2024, under pressure from Republican congressmen warning of federal budget cuts, the mayor of Washington D.C. had no choice but to remove it.

This was a trace symbolizing the protests condemning police violence against Black people that heated up across the U.S. in early summer 2020. It should have been preserved to remember that event, but it was disappearing due to political circumstances, which was regrettable. I hoped that if a Democrat became president again, it would be restored. The fate of something changing depending on political situations is not unique to this place. It is not only politics. Cities continuously change in every corner according to social changes. Therefore, not everything old can be preserved. What about Seoul?

Seoul is often dismissed as a city that quickly discards old things and recklessly builds characterless buildings. Many people living in Seoul or Korea think so, and even foreigners who frequently visit Korea tend to think the same. But is that really true?

Seoul, rooted in Hanyang during the Joseon Dynasty, has important cultural heritage scattered throughout. Changdeokgung Palace, Jongmyo Shrine, and Joseon royal tombs have been designated as World Cultural Heritage sites. There are many national treasures like Gyeongbokgung Palace and Sungnyemun Gate, as well as cultural heritage designated by the state and Seoul city. Because social consensus on historical value has been firmly maintained over a long time, all receive support and management from the Cultural Heritage Administration. Other old capitals like London, Paris, and Beijing are similar.

However, heritage from the 20th century is a different matter. During the Japanese colonial period, Japanese and Western cultures rapidly entered through the ruling powers, and new architectural styles and lifestyles became common. After liberation and the division caused by foreign powers, South Korea’s industrialization and urbanization rapidly progressed from the 1960s onward. Because it was such a rapidly changing and turbulent period, there was no time or social consensus to consider what and how to preserve throughout the 20th century. Survival was the top priority, and adapting to the rapidly changing reality was overwhelming.

Since the 1980s, with rising living and education levels and democratization, interest in historical buildings and landscapes increased. The Bukchon Hanok village was designated as a preservation area, and modern buildings like Seoul Station were preserved. Attention was also paid to restoring and recovering lost cultural heritage, while traces of the Japanese colonial period were demolished. The demolition of the Joseon Government-General Building that blocked the front of Gyeongbokgung Palace is a representative example. Despite interest in cultural heritage, urban development pressure was also intense, especially redevelopment involving complete demolition continued.

From the late 2000s, a new trend emerged. Interest expanded to spaces containing everyday memories. Exploring Seoul’s old neighborhoods became popular, especially among younger generations, and some places even emerged as “hot spots” causing gentrification.

The “rediscovery” of old areas influenced the direction of urban regeneration in the 2010s and led to new initiatives by Seoul city. Among them is the designation of “Seoul Future Heritage.” Started in 2013, this project aims not only to highlight historically significant buildings but also to promote and preserve heritage with shared memories and emotions in various fields such as “citizen life,” “urban management,” “political history,” “industry and labor,” and “culture and arts.” Targets included old restaurants and shops, cultural content like the movie Gwi-ro and the novel Seoul is Full, as well as Seolleongtang (ox bone soup) and Subway Line 1. Experts, civic groups, and ordinary citizens recommend candidates, and selections are made through the Future Heritage Preservation Committee’s review. Businesses like restaurants or shops must be at least 40 years old. Currently, 499 sites are designated as “Seoul Future Heritage.” While they do not receive strict preservation management from the city, they are supported in small repairs, environmental improvements, and promotional material production.

Designation does not guarantee permanence. From 2013 to early this year, about 25 places have closed. For example, “Bokji Table Tennis Hall” near Sinchon Station closed at the end of 2020 due to COVID-19’s impact on business. Daeseonggwan, a Chinese restaurant opened in 1946 by a Chinese-Korean from Shandong Province in Dongjak-gu, also disappeared in 2022.

There are criticisms regarding institutional issues about the disappearance of “Seoul Future Heritage.” However, changes in citizens’ tastes or difficulties in business due to market logic caused by social changes seem inevitable. The original purpose of “Seoul Future Heritage” was not to freeze things in their old state through strict management but to raise interest in Seoul’s diverse cultural heritage, including intangible heritage. There were also fairness issues in providing public funds to specific businesses.

Does that mean these efforts are meaningless? Absolutely not. Rather, other cities can learn from the “Seoul Future Heritage” system. One is the idea of designating as cultural heritage not only buildings and cityscapes traditionally considered for preservation but also intangible assets, old businesses, and cultural content related to shared memories and emotions about the city. Another is increasing citizens’ interest in various modern and contemporary cultural heritage and encouraging preservation through that interest.

If there had been a “Washington D.C. Future Heritage,” the yellow letters of “Black Lives Matter” in front of the White House, which received strong public support, might have been designated earlier. That does not guarantee it would have survived the fierce storm brought by the returning Trump, but it would not have been removed so easily, and the historical evaluation of that act would have been much heavier.

Robert Fauzer, Former Professor at Seoul National University