Fascinating Attractions in Seoul

A natural respite in the center of a modern metropolis

The Lucevista and Cheonggyecheon Festivals beckon

Seoul is the dynamic capital of the nation, featuring a combination of a traditional 600-year-old metropolis and a modern city. There are a lot of exciting and heart-pounding spots, including the restored Cheonggyecheon Stream and Insa-dong Street along which Seoulites and tourists alike can stroll.
Cheonggyecheon Stream, which was restored in October 2005, has become a popular resting place that cuts through the bustling center of the capital. The number of visitors to the stream surpassed the 50-million mark this past June 10, just 20 short months after the completion of its restoration.
That is the equivalent of the nation's population or an average of 80,000 visitors daily. In fact, slightly more than half of the visitors are those who have returned to the stream four or more times.
The stream has served as a magnet for luring visitors to Seoul from other parts of the nation as well as foreign countries for the purposes of tourism and observation.The elevated road previously covering the stream in downtown Seoul was once a subject of safety concerns among motorists and considered an eyesore by many.
The stream and its surrounding environ have undergone tremendous changes, bringing about a new lease on life as an environmentally-friendly, human-oriented urban space.
The renewed stream has come into its own as one of Seoul's landmarks and has become a renowned resting place for Seoulites and visiting foreign and Korean tourists, as well as an attraction surrounded by places to shop and dine. The stream and its neighborhood serve as an open-air performing arts stage and gallery, offering different things to see and mouth-watering cuisines to taste according to the season.
The project of restoring the stream was thrust into the global spotlight as it won an architectural award in the 2004 Venice Biennale.
The idea of restoring the stream was the brainchild of President-elect Lee Myung-bak, dubbed a prominent "CEO-mayor."His idea might have originated from the concept that the Guggenheim Museum, built on a former shipyard along the Nervion River in Bilbao, Spain, changed the gray city into one imbued with artistic scents.
One of Cheonggyecheon's differentiating features is it is a restored stream one to two meters deeper and wider than the original. The restoration of the stream has had a favorable impact on the ecology: Now, thanks to clean water and abundant food sources, numerous species of animals and plants inhabit the stream.
Lucevista, a Year-End Fixture
The Cheonggyecheon Plaza is the venue of an annual light festival, saying farewell to the old year and welcoming the new year. The 4th Lucevista, held at Cheonggyecheon Plaza and City Hall Plaza between Dec. 6, 2007 and Jan. 6, 2008,
mesmerized the throngs of visitors who came to appreciate the panoramic view of constantly changing, fascinating lights and colors.
The restored stream stretches from a point in front of the vernacular daily Dong-A Ilbo to the Ttusom area, via Jungnyangcheon Stream, before reaching the Han River. A large amount of water, about 100,000 tons, is drawn from the Han River and pumped into the Cheonggyecheon daily. The stream is an average of 40 cm deep, 24 meters to 80 meters wide, and flows at a speed of 25 cm per second. The renovated stream is dotted with diverse facilities and attractions ranging from nine fountains, promenades on both banks,
forested areas and resting places, to artificial ponds and waterfalls and even wooden fences for growing a specialty of flora in the center of the stream.
The starting point of the stream features the sprawling Cheonggyecheon Plaza, encompassing 69,300 sq. meters, in front of the Dong-A Ilbo building. The plaza, paved with stones, not with asphalt, is normally used as a motorway, but during holidays and special periods it is utilized as an open space for holding a variety of events.
ights and colors.
The restored stream stretches from a point in front of the vernacular daily Dong-A Ilbo to the Ttusom area, via Jungnyangcheon Stream, before reaching the Han River. A large amount of water, about 100,000 tons, is drawn from the Han River and pumped into the Cheonggyecheon daily. The stream is an average of 40 cm deep, 24 meters to 80 meters wide, and flows at a speed of 25 cm per second. The renovated stream is dotted with diverse facilities and attractions ranging from nine fountains, promenades on both banks, forested areas and resting places, to artificial ponds and waterfalls and even wooden fences for growing a specialty of flora in the center of the stream.
The starting point of the stream features the sprawling Cheonggyecheon Plaza, encompassing 69,300 sq. meters, in front of the Dong-A Ilbo building. The plaza, paved with stones, not with asphalt, is normally used as a motorway, but during holidays and special periods it is utilized as an open space for holding a variety of events. The plaza, connected with the Mojeon Bridge, the first one over the stream, houses grounds of diverse types, a two-tiered artificial waterfall and octagonal stone structures, all symbolizing Seoul's history and culture and environmental restoration.
There are two paths running 61 meters from the plaza to the stream, one made with steps and the other with a ramp. The 18-meter tunnel section of the ramp is a kind of specially-designed space where visitors can get a glimpse of the darkness of the covered stream of the past and enjoy the sense of liberation of the current stream.
The restoration project proceeded with the voluntary participation of the citizens. A case in point is two walls covered with 20,000 tiles, built along the section between the Hwanghak and Biudang bridges. The walls, covering 220 sq. meters, are called "The Walls of Participation of Cheonggyecheon Restoration and Harmony,"a symbol of the people's coming together and yearning for peace and unification of the Korean Peninsula.
Seoulites added their own calligraphy and drawings to the restored walls, including ones depicting such memorable moments of the past as swimming in the river.
The Cheonggyecheon Festival is held between late September and early October every year, featuring diverse events of culture and the arts, digital technology, industry, environment, history and civilian participation.
Attracting the public's attention are installation art works and environmental art exhibitions, designed to conjure up natural and environmentally-friendly images of the stream. The festival displays sculptures made from recycled materials, designed to show the importance of the environment. nw

The Lucevista is an annual fixture st the Cheonggyecheon Plaza, attracting throngs of visitors.

Cheonggyecheon Stream is always dynamic and exciting with diverse things to see, dine and shop while strolling along the stream and its various neighborhoods.

(clockwise) Citizens enjoy skating at the rink of the Seoul City Hall Plaza.; the Deoksugung, one of Seoul's representative royal palaces,; a tile-layered wall depicting a royal river-crossing procession by King Jeongjo of Joseon Dynasty,; Namsan Hill Rectangular Pavilion and Namsan Tower (at the background), and sparrow hawk (inset), one of the birds returning to the restored Cheonggyecheon.