Seoul Plaza Renovated After 21 Years... Transformed Into a "Madison Square Park"

Additional Zelkova Trees Planted, Gardens Throughout the Plaza
From an Event-Centered Venue to a Space for Citizens
Grass Replaced to Suit the Climate... Completion by April Next Year

Seoul Plaza, located in front of Seoul City Hall, is undergoing a renovation for the first time in 21 years. The plaza will be transformed from an event-centered venue into a space inspired by Madison Square Park in Manhattan, New York, where visitors can enjoy forests and gardens.

On April 28, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it would create a "garden-like plaza" at Seoul Plaza by planting mature pine and zelkova trees, allowing citizens to enjoy culture, art, leisure, and nature all at once. The newly renovated plaza will soon be open to the public.

Seoul Plaza Renovated After 21 Years... Transformed Into a "Madison Square Park"

Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul City Hall is undergoing a renovation for the first time in 21 years. It will be transformed from an event-centered plaza into New York Manhattan's "Madison Square Park," where visitors can enjoy forests and gardens. Renovated Seoul Plaza view. Seoul City

Seoul Plaza was established in May 2004 by removing the existing roadway and laying grass, reflecting citizens' suggestions for the "plaza in front of City Hall," which had become a hub for street cheering during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. However, due to the nature of the plaza, it has been criticized for lacking shade and resting areas, and for maintaining only limited functions because of excessive noise.

In response, the city will add six mature zelkova trees to the 24 pine trees planted on both sides of the plaza in 2023, providing citizens with more shade and resting areas. The area beneath the existing trees has been filled with various flowers and plants, forming what is called a "palm-sized garden." Around the plaza, about 300 movable planters containing species such as mountain maple and rowan have been installed to enhance the completeness of the garden-style urban plaza. A "garden-style photo zone" has also been created, allowing visitors to take commemorative photos with Seoul City Hall reflected in a mirror, offering a variety of experiences and memories. The plaza's surface has also been redesigned to be more nature-friendly.

The grass, which was repeatedly damaged and restored due to events held on more than 320 days out of the year, has been replaced with warm-season turfgrass (Korean-type grass) suitable for Seoul's climate. Wooden walkways have been installed between the grass areas to improve both convenience for citizens and the protection of the turf, as well as to enhance the landscape. As of last year, the average summer temperature in Seoul was 25.6 degrees Celsius, an increase of 1.9 degrees from the previous year. In response to these climate changes, the cool-season grass at Seoul Plaza has been replaced with warm-season turfgrass. Through this tree planting, various garden installations, and the addition of wooden walkways, the city expects the Seoul Plaza garden project to reduce carbon emissions by approximately 331.92 tons per year.

In the second half of this year, the city will begin the second phase of the Seoul Plaza improvement project. Starting in November, six additional zelkova tree planters (resting areas around trees) will be installed on the east side of the plaza, and seating walls (structures where people can sit and rest) will be added around the garden. By April next year, the city aims to complete the "Seoul Plaza Forest" and "Seoul Plaza Garden" in both name and reality.

Lee Suyeon, Director of the Garden City Bureau at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, "We will transform Seoul Plaza, a landmark of Seoul, from simply a place for events and participation into a space where people can enjoy culture and art and stay for a long time to relax." She added, "Like Madison Square Park, which is a source of pride for New Yorkers, Seoul Plaza will leave a deep impression and offer great appeal not only to citizens but also to domestic and international visitors to Seoul."