The Greening of Seoul Continues
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has announced plans to further green Seoul:
A plaza will be established in the middle of Sejongno Street in downtown Seoul by 2008. It will be named Gwanghwamun Plaza.
The Cultural Heritage Administration administrator, Yoo Hong-joon, and Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon announced the final decision at Seoul City Hall on Wednesday (Dec. 27).
The city has collected public opinion on three ideas: setting up the plaza in the middle of Sejongno Street, on both sides of the street or on one side of the street.
More than 44 percent of people preferred a square in the middle, a city official said. The authorities also confirmed the name Gwanghwamun Plaza.
“The central position has a weak point in not greatly increasing sidewalks for pedestrians. But it allows an open view from the plaza to Gwanghwamun, Gyeongbok Palace and Mt. Bukak behind the palace,†the official said.
The plaza will make the street look similar to how it did during the Joseon Kingdom, the official said. Major government offices were located along with the street on both sides during the time.
The plaza will be 27 meters wide, and the number of car lanes there will be cut from the current 16 to 10.
According to the plans, the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin will remain in place, but the final decision of whether to relocate it will be made after further discussion. The statue of King Sejong that is currently in Deoksu Palace will be moved to the plaza.
