Yeouido Park to Be Transformed for the First Time in 27 Years... Connecting Culture and the Han River

Winning Design: "Cultivating Yeouido Park Together"

Connecting the 2nd Sejong Center, Han River, Saetgang, and the City Center

A World-Class Ecological Park for Everyday Cultural Enjoyment

Phased Construction Begins Next Year, Complet

Yeouido Park in Seoul is set to undergo a major renovation for the first time in 27 years. The current planar park structure will be transformed to connect the 2nd Sejong Center for the Performing Arts with the Han River and Saetgang in an integrated manner. The core of the redesign is to preserve the park’s existing vegetation, terrain, and water system while reorganizing Yeouido Park into a linear park and a central open park.

On July 21, the Seoul Metropolitan Government held an awards ceremony for the "Yeouido Park Redevelopment Design Competition" at the Seoul Gallery in Seoul City Hall, where they announced the winning design. The ceremony was attended by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, the competition winners, and about 150 professionals in landscape architecture, architecture, and related fields.

A bird's-eye view of 'Yeoudulpyeon,' which Seoul City will present through the redevelopment of Yeouido Park. Seoul City

This competition aimed to remake Yeouido Park, which originally opened in January 1999, into a cultural complex hub linking the 2nd Sejong Center for the Performing Arts with the Han River. Yeouido Park has long served as a representative promenade space for citizens, transitioning from the Yeouido Airfield and Yeouido Square, but there have been calls to restructure its space due to the expansion of surrounding business and residential functions.

Accordingly, the city of Seoul held an international design competition for over 80 days, seeking diverse proposals that would align with Yeouido’s urban status and anticipated future changes. The competition focused in particular on connecting the fragmented Saetgang Park, improving pedestrian networks with surrounding neighborhoods, and upholding the vision of a park that preserves ecological resources while tearing down urban boundaries and breathing new life into the city’s future.

The winning proposal, "Co-Cultivating Yeouido Park," was jointly submitted by People and Trees, JW Landscape, and Cooperative Architects. The core concept is the "triple-layered structure," which involves preserving the park’s ecosystem, terrain, and waterways, accumulated for nearly 30 years, while reorganizing Yeouido Park into two linear parks and a centrally located open interior park.

At the heart of the park will be "Yeoudulpyeon," a vast event space offering openness and panoramic views, with an axis connecting the 2nd Sejong Center for the Performing Arts and an ecological forest. Additionally, two layers of linear parks (in the east-west direction) are planned to actively connect and serve adjacent urban areas. Here, cultural and artistic programs from the 2nd Sejong Center for the Performing Arts can be enjoyed both in the park’s stands and on the lawns. The city’s strategy is to break down the boundaries between parks, cultural facilities, city and nature, and foster Yeouido Park as a cultural hub where everyone can experience culture in daily life.

The ecological forest within Yeouido Park will be extended as a green ecological axis connecting to Saetgang Park. Pedestrian flow from the 2nd Sejong Center for the Performing Arts through the park to the Han River will also be strengthened, allowing citizens and tourists to experience culture, nature, and waterfront spaces together.

The elevation difference between the 2nd Sejong Center for the Performing Arts and the park will be connected by the Grand Hill and Grand Pond. Architectural features such as restrooms will each be designed as small garden spaces, each section clad in a different color of tree exterior. The city will also introduce the "Yeouido Park Conservancy" model, bringing together companies and citizens to manage and sponsor the park collaboratively.

Based on the winning design, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will proceed with the basic and detailed design, coordinating construction of the 2nd Sejong Center for the Performing Arts from next year. The project will be carried out in three phases over three years to minimize inconvenience to citizens. Construction will begin at the park’s outskirts concurrently with the groundbreaking for the 2nd Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, aiming for completion and opening in 2030.

Mayor Oh stated, “The redevelopment of Yeouido Park is not just about revamping an old park, but it serves as the starting point for completing the future of Yeouido as an international city by connecting the 2nd Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, the Han River, and Saetgang. We are committed to establishing a world-class park where culture, nature, and the everyday lives of citizens coexist harmoniously, making Seoul a special city where people can truly sense improvements in their quality of life.”

Perspective view of the 2nd Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Seoul City

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.