Gangnam exhibit offers more than urban history

A photo captures the old scenes of Apgujeong-dong in 1978 before urban development. Apartment buildings are seen behind a farmer plowing a field with a cow.
/ Courtesy of Seoul Museum of History

By Chung Ah-young

Moon Yeong-joon, 81, reminisces about the past in Jamwon-dong, southern Seoul, known as Gangnam. Forty years ago, the district was composed mainly of farmers working in cabbage fields and pear orchards before the urban development project transformed the landscape of the area.

“Native residents left their villages because they had to sell their farmland even though the neighborhoods were growing faster due to urban development. They had no choice but to leave because they knew nothing but farming,” he recalls.

He describes the present-day Gangnam as a miracle, saying he had never imagined this. Moon is one of the few who lived in Jamwon-dong and witnessed its stark facelift which began in the 1970s. His vivid comments are being screened in a video clip, along with historical photos and related documents on display at a special exhibition titled “40 Years of Gangnam, Exponential Growth” at the Seoul Museum of History in downtown Seoul.

Gangnam refers to the Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu districts and widely denotes the part of the city south of the Han River. This section of Seoul is often synonymous with wealth and is now filled with skyscrapers, luxury brand shops, bustling business centers and modern entertainment facilities.

But just decades ago, the area was simple farmland located far from the heart of the capital, Gangbuk, which means north of the Han River.

How was the region transformed to occupy the most affluent areas of the city?

The museum is displaying various historical materials such as magazines, books, records, posters, newspapers and photos that shed light on the growth of Gangnam at a glance.

The exhibition recounts the historic origins of the area, which belonged to Gwangju in Gyeonggi Province during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) and produced fruit and vegetables for the uptown citizens until the urban development drive initiated in the 1960s.

As the nation went through industrialization and urbanization in the 1960s, the population in Seoul dramatically exploded and the city couldn’t help but spread to the southern region across the river due to a lack of housing.

The urban expansion to the south picked up steam when it was coupled with the construction of the 3rd Han River Bridge, now the Hannam Bridge in 1969 and the completion of the Seoul-Busan Expressway in 1970.

In the 1970s, the city government restrained the development of Gangbuk to boost growth in the southern areas instead by building apartments for public servants and relocating public offices and prestigious schools there. As a result, the new residential districts were created with ample apartments in the Apgujeong, Banpo, Cheongdam and Dogok areas.

The development craze brought about not only new cultures but also social ills such as real estate speculation and ignited the private education fever lasting even today.

The decades-long development was completed with the Gaepo district in the 1980s. After that, the area morphed from a residential area to a cultural and business hub by housing more relevant facilities such as Seoul Arts Center, the National Library of Korea and the Korea Trade Center. Finally, the population of Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu shot to 950,000 in 1995 from 320,000 in 1975.

The exhibition displays the materials portraying the development process in accordance with a timeline from the 1960s to the present day. The showcase of the aerial photos to depict the changes of the region from the 1960s to the 2000s in every different district of the southern region is quite impressive.

The formation of the Gangnam area can also be explained along with the timeline of modern Korean historical incidents which are drawn on the walls of the exhibition hall.

In the introductory part, most of the exhibits are educational and informative for citizens to go beyond the historical significance. The impressive video screening section, which was separately installed in the later part of the hall, is easy enough to understand the urban history with vivid testimonies and documentaries. The video interviews display the hidden stories of native Gangnam residents and their nostalgia underlying the city’s flamboyant transformation.

Despite its intriguing theme for both foreigners and Koreans, it is a pity that the exhibition doesn’t offer English captions or explanations to reach an international audience.

The exhibition will continue to Feb. 27. Admission is free.

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