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The tramlines were dismantled in the late 1960s, replaced by buses, creating ``hell'' during rush hours until the subway was opened in 1974.
/ Courtesy of Dolbegae |
 By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Seoul is a 600-year-old capital, the only political, economic and social center of the nation since the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). But have you ever thought about Seoul and its historic and cultural background?
``The Depth of Seoul'' by Jeon Woo-yong, a cultural property adviser, invites readers to delve into old and modern stories of the city with creative and fresh insights.
As the titles suggests, the book gives not only informative but also emotional touches to the unknown history of Seoul.
The book attempts to provide multiple humanity perspectives, which are different from the numerous books which previously only focus on architecture and history.
His writings are cynical and sarcastic, but full of witty insights with humorous touches and an intelligent exploration of the past.
Jeon says that Seoul has grown to be a mega city by monopolizing the economic and social resources of the country, thus blocking the development of other cities.
``The speed and scope of absorbing human and material resources from other regions is getting faster and wider, like a big black hole waiting for the big bang,'' he said.
He said that the current capital is the same as the old one in that it exists only by exploiting rural regions during ancient and medieval times.
Jeon said that the capital did not function to produce anything in the past. So the capital was full of those who didn't work such as royal families and the noble class, who consumed what other regions produced, lampooning the noble class as debauchees.
In the chapter, ``God of Revenge,'' the book reveals his poignant analysis of Seoul's architectural and topographical landscape changes.
He said that since the Joseon Kingdom, Koreans didn't like building houses on hills or on mountain slopes, believing only the dead should be buried there.
Also, the book explains that the kingdom restricted the height of architecture to make sure that people were not ``higher'' than the king.
So even when people didn't have enough space to construct their houses on flat land as the kingdom suffered a lack of housing due to the rising population, they didn't settle on steep mountain ranges.
``French missionaries first built imposing and majestic structures on the slopes in the capital with sharp steeples on their roofs,'' the book said.
They constructed Yakhyeon Catholic Church in 1892, Saenamteo Catholic Church in 1902 and Myeongdong Cathedral in 1895 in these high areas.
``The reasons why they constructed the churches on these spots was to commemorate the death of the martyred but also to show disdain to the Joseon court which killed the believers. The architecture was strange in its shape and materials but its direction and location were the most striking for Joseon people,'' the book says.
Jeon said that Myeongdong Cathedral with its sharp steeple stands breasting the main gate of Gyeongbok Palace. ``It looks as if a catapult is aimed at Gyeongbok Palace,'' he said. But he added that this fact was almost unknown even at that time and still now.
Another interesting look at the city's heart shows the ups and downs of Jongno, downtown Seoul. The book said that the removal of the tramlines in the late 1960s was a sign of the neighborhood's waning.
Since the government began to develop southern Seoul in the 1970s, infrastructure such as prestigious schools moved there.
In the 1960s, the electronic trolleys were a worry of Seoul. The trolleys ran at a deficit because of frequent technical glitches that hindered the flow of automobile traffic at that time.
So the tramlines were dismantled and replaced with buses. But the buses were ``hell'' in rush hours until the subway was opened in 1974.
The author doesn't forget to remind readers of one of the distinguished features of this urban settlement culture, utilized as a motif by many films and dramas.
He said that it might be a more poetic term to describe poor urban settlements as ``daldongne,'' or shantytowns, literally meaning ``moon villages'' nestling on a hill or mountain slope.
He said that these shantytowns were explosively built on the steep hill-slopes or undeveloped hilltops due to overpopulation peaking in the town especially during the 1960 and 70s.
The book said that there was no running water tap in such settlements, causing a struggle for water access.
But during the Joseon Kingdom, there were a lot of wells providing high-quality potable water with high quality, he said.
Later, water sellers emerged, the book said. He analyzed that the reason was because of the deterioration of water due to over-population, causing water-borne diseases.
The Seoul Waterworks was founded in 1907 by two American businessmen, railway specialist Henry Collbran and Harry R. Bostwick, who also won concessions to build Seoul's tram system, the city's first commercial electricity system and the Seoul-Incheon railroad.
The book shows how this water supply system caused conflict between Joseon water sellers and the system operators. The water sellers disappeared in the 1970s.
Besides these insights, the author offers various looks at every corner of the city with his affectionate search for people's customs, unknown sites and their hidden meanings.
chungay@koreatimes.co.kr
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yistory@koreatimes.co.kr
