By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
Seoul will turn Mt. Namsan into a signature park in the city by restoring its ecological and historical heritages.
Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon announced a master plan named ``Namsan Renaissance,'' Wednesday. ``Mt. Namsan is going to be a tourist spot located in the heart of the city like Central Park in New York City,'' Oh said.
According to the plan, the city will demolish buildings on the mountain, including the former Korean Central Intelligence Agency headquarters, Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disasters headquarters and an annex to City Hall and create green areas and waterways instead.
``We will re-create Mt. Namsan, the lungs of Seoul, to be a more citizen- and tourist-friendly place,'' Oh said.
Seoul City will also expand pine tree groves, a symbolic tree of Mt. Namsan, to five areas covering 37 hectares. The walls of old Seoul will also be restored.
Divided into sections, the four mountainside areas will be developed as resting places where nature and culture are fused. Meanwhile citizens will be able to view Seoul from the area around N Seoul Tower.
Mt. Namsan will also have improved walking and jogging paths of 7.5 kilometers connecting the south and north part of the mountain with scenic views. The existing Mt. Namsan loop bus will be upgraded to a shuttle bus connecting parking lots and subway stations. Seoul plans to finish the work by 2015 with a budget of 232 billion won ($150 million).