Seoul City Hall

Coordinates: 37°33′59.06″N 126°58′40.16″E / 37.5664056°N 126.9778222°E / 37.5664056; 126.9778222
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Seoul City Hall
Seoul City Hall
Korean name
Hangul
서울특별시 청사
Hanja
Revised RomanizationSeoul teukbyeolsi cheongsa
McCune–ReischauerSŏul T'ŭkbyŏl-si ch'ŏngsa

Seoul City Hall (Korean서울특별시 청사) is a governmental building for the Seoul Metropolitan Government in South Korea, in charge of the administrative affairs of Seoul. It is located in Taepyeongno, Jung-gu, at the heart of Seoul. It is connected to City Hall Station (Seoul) on Seoul Subway Line 1, with access to Seoul Subway Line 2 from the same station. In front of the current city hall is the old city hall building, now Seoul Metropolitan Library, and Seoul Plaza (Korean: 서울광장).

History[edit]

The original City Hall shortly after completion

The former city hall of Seoul was built in 1925, during the Japanese occupation of Korea. It is an example of Imperial Crown Style architecture, and served as city hall from Korea's liberation in 1945, until construction of the modern building in 2008. It now houses the Seoul Metropolitan Library, in front of the current, modern Seoul City Hall building.

Following a competition for a new city hall, the jury awarded the commission to Yoo Kerl of iArc on February 18, 2008. Yoo said, "Major keywords for designing the new building are traditions, citizens, future. I analysed low-rise horizontal elements, curvaceousness, and shades of leaves in our traditional architectural characteristics, and I applied these to the design so I can recall comfortable feelings of old things."[1]

In 2012, the new City Hall was opened to the public on 27 August and the city government moved in on 1 September. The project, which took four years and five months to complete, also includes multipurpose halls and cultural facilities for citizens. The old building, registered as a cultural asset, has been converted into a library, and boasts a collection of more than 200,000 books.[2][3]

Public transportation[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "'7수 끝에…' 서울시 새청사 최종설계안 발표". The Hankyoreh. 2008-02-19. 30% 문화공간 이용 다음달 기초공사 시작
  2. ^ "Seoul's New City Hall Opens". The Chosun Ilbo. 4 September 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
  3. ^ Seoul City Hall's metamorphosis pleases book lovers

External links[edit]

37°33′59.06″N 126°58′40.16″E / 37.5664056°N 126.9778222°E / 37.5664056; 126.9778222