Walking Seoul at the Cheonggyecheon Stream at night time.
Originally, the Cheonggyecheon Stream flowed naturally, with water cascading from Inwangsan Mountain. While it served as a local resource for Seoul, it also posed a hazard to residents during monsoon seasons, often causing flooding.
During the Joseon Dynasty, efforts were made to update and reconstruct the riverside, aiming to facilitate easier usage. However, the river’s condition deteriorated during the Japanese occupation from 1910 to 1945, becoming polluted and unsightly.
Following the Korean War in 1953, urbanization led to increased pollution as more people moved to the city of Seoul, exacerbating the problem. Subsequently, in 1958, construction commenced to cover the river entirely with an elevated motorway, effectively concealing it from view for the next 25 years.
However, in 2003, Mayor of Seoul Lee Myung Bak initiated a project to remove the highway and restore the Cheonggyecheon stream. The full impact of this endeavor only became apparent upon completion of the construction. As the road was dismantled and nature reintroduced to downtown Seoul, along with the pumping of 120,000 tonnes of water, the restoration project yielded numerous benefits for both locals and the city of Seoul
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