Provincial News Seoullo 7017, overpass-turned-park, to open Saturday
Artist's rendering of Seoullo 7017
1,024-meter-long park expected to be a new cool place in Seoul
By Kim Se-jeong
Seoullo 7017, an overpass transformed into a park near Seoul Station, is celebrating its grand opening Saturday.
Seoullo is supposed to mean “Seoul road” in Korean and 7017 comes from two significant years: 1970 when the overpass was first built, and 2017 when it turns into a public park.
On Wednesday, the Seoul Metropolitan Government was putting on the finishing touches and preparing for the opening ceremony.
The 1,024-meter-long bridge connects Malli-dong in the southwest to Namdaemun Market in the east. The path has 17 exits so pedestrians can access various parts of the surrounding area.
The overpass became a symbol of Korea’s economic growth in the 1970s.
In the 1990s, concerns about its safety were first raised, prompting the city government to begin periodic safety tests.
In 2012, engineers concluded the structure could endure no more than three years of continued use, and the city government decided to demolish the structure by 2015.
In 2014, the plan changed as Mayor Park Won-soon expressed his desire to transform it into an urban park. Park was inspired by the High Line Park in New York City.
Seollo 7017 features 645 giant concrete pots, some of which are taller than a person, housing 228 species of trees and flowers. Between the larger pots are spaces for a library, cafe, puppet theater, concert venue and other recreation facilities.
The overpass also includes a flower shop, a gallery, a souvenir shop and various restaurants.
Rose Gimbap on the overpass will offer gimbap, Korean seaweed wraps.
7017 Seoul Hwaban is a place for bibimbap, with 10 recipes conceived by the city’s 10 honorary chefs.
Some of the chefs are from Michelin-starred restaurants including Hooni Kim, the owner chef of Danji, a Korean restaurant in New York. Hwaban is located at Malli-dong Square, an open area on the western end of the overpass. Cafes will offer traditional Korean sweets, like bingsu, shaved ice with sweets, and porridge.
The urban park is scheduled to open Saturday at 10 a.m., with events throughout the day and an opening ceremony at 8 p.m. Visit seoullo7017.seoul.go.kr for more information.
What to enjoy during the opening weekend
A variety of activities will take place to celebrate the opening of Seoullo 7017 on Saturday and Sunday.
It opens to the public Saturday at 10 a.m., and an opening ceremony starts at 8 p.m.
A list of events between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. include an event where people will be invited to hang old shoes on a special installation and a fashion show where models will feature clothes made by local designers based in Malli-dong. An “animation” parade will feature 14 of Korea’s most famous cartoon characters and the Korea Harmonica Orchestra will perform. Nine independent music groups, including Band Maru, the New Jazz Band and Magic Palace, will also be busking on the overpass park.
At 7:30 p.m., a youth orchestra from Malli-dong will also perform.
During the official ceremony, 50 selected amateur singers will perform together.
The second day’s festivities will start with a walkathon at 8 a.m. Almost 2,000 people have signed up for the event which will start from Namsan Park, via Seoullo 7017, and return to the mountain park. The walkathon will continue until noon. At 1 p.m., the city will hold a drum contest in Malli-dong Square where 30 teams will compete. Between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., the city’s youth choir, a traditional music group and a dance team will entertain spectators.
As part of the opening ceremony, but at a later date, an EU delegation in Seoul will hold an exhibition June 3 and 4 at Malli-dong Square, showcasing Europe’s efforts to fight climate change.