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| Images of Donhwamun-ro in central Seoul before and after the Seoul Metropolitan Government's project to make the streets surrounding Changdeok Palace more pedestrian-friendly / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government |
By Bahk Eun-ji
Four roads encompassing Changdeok Palace and Jongmyo Shrine have been transformed to provide wider walking paths offering beautiful urban and historical scenic sights.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would soon complete the two-year construction work to improve the streets surrounding the palace in the middle of the city to make the area more pedestrian-friendly.
The construction was part of the City Regeneration Project in front of the palace, carried out in relation to the road reorganization project that is aimed at allowing and encouraging citizens to walk, cycle and use public transportation in the "green traffic area" in the heart of the capital.
It is the site of many historical and cultural assets, including Changdeok Palace, Jongmyo Shrine, Unhyeon Palace, Donhwamun-ro which was used as the "King's road" during the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom, and Nakwon Arcade, the world's largest musical instrument shopping complex.
However, it has been perceived as an underutilized area, with roads running between the assets and policymakers ignoring the area.
"The project has been mainly focused on reorganizing the space with pedestrians taking the top priority, while preserving the value of rich historical and cultural places and improving the urban landscape," an official of the city government said.
The four roads that underwent the renewal work are Donhwamun-ro from Changdeok Palace to Jongro 3-ga Station, Seosulla-gil along the west wall of Jongmyo Shrine, Samil-daero which runs under Nakwon Arcade and Donhwamun 10-gil that links Nakwon Arcade and Seosunra-gil.
Donhwamun-ro was the path kings used when they went out from Changdeok Palace during the Joseon Kingdom and the starting point of the reenactment event of King Jeongjo's royal parade. The city government renovated a 150-meter section of Donhwamun-ro across from the palace like a plaza without separation between the roadway and the sidewalk, so various historical and cultural events will be held there.
In addition, roadside trees and street facilities were removed and the sidewalks were expanded so that visitors can see Donhwamun Gate from Jongno 3-ga Station.
Seosulla-gil has retained the old feature of Jongmyo Shrine, but it has been inconvenient to walk due to illegally parked cars and goods piled up on the street in front of stores there. The city government expanded the sidewalks from 1.5 meters to 3 meters and created a 500-square-meter square for pedestrians. It will be used as a car-free street on weekends.
On Samil-daero, where Nakwon Arcade is located, the walking environment was improved with the addition of more lights in the lower space of the arcade and parking spaces being removed, so that citizens can pass through between Insa-dong and Jongmyo with more convenience
On Donhwamun-ro 10-gil, the sidewalks were expanded.
The city government expects that the streets inside the four main gates of the city will become more favorable to pedestrians when the project to reorganize the road in Toegye-ro is completed soon and that for Sejong-daero, by early next year.
"We plans to make the Changdeok Palace area into a quality place that combines history and culture so that citizens and tourists can continue to visit," said Ryu Hoon, director of the city's urban regeneration office.
