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In Seoul’s trendiest district, once-bland buildings gain new value
Customers line up in front of Musinsa Store Seongsu@Daelim Changgo
in Seongdong District, Seoul, Sept. 13, 2024. Korea Times photo by Choi Joo-yeon.
By Park Ung
Red-brick structures shed industrial past to become hip hangouts
When Daelim Changgo, a red-brick rice mill, was built in Seongsu-dong of eastern Seoul in the early 1970s, few could have imagined the transformations it would undergo over the decades.
By the 1990s, the building had been converted into a storage site for factory materials. A generation later, it was transformed into a multibrand store operated by the Korean fashion platform Musinsa, which in March hosted a fan event celebrating BLACKPINK member Lisa’s solo album debut.
As this transformation shows, time has reshaped Seongsu-dong from an industrial hub into one of Seoul’s trendiest neighborhoods, lined with pop-up shops and hip cafes. What has endured are the landmarks that still define its streets: red-brick buildings like Daelim Changgo.
To help preserve the area’s architectural heritage, Seongdong District announced Thursday that it will expand its program supporting the conservation of red-brick buildings.
“Red-brick buildings have become our urban brand, preserving the harmony of past and present while boosting the local economy,” Seongdong District Mayor Chong Won-o said. “We will continue to support them as a medium for creative design, thriving businesses and a vibrant community.”
A red-brick building in Seongdong District / Courtesy of Seongdong District Office
Launched in 2018, the program has focused on conserving red-brick factories and warehouses from the 1970s and ’80s, along with residential buildings from the 1980s and ’90s, to help maintain the area’s identity.
The program had previously been limited to select zones, including the cafe street near Seongsu Station. Beginning next Thursday, the district plans to extend coverage to nearly all of Seongsu-dong, excluding Seoul Forest and areas slated for redevelopment.
The program is open to Seongsu-dong residents and property owners. For new construction or major renovations of red-brick buildings, the district will fund up to 50 percent of costs, capped at 20 million won ($14,300) per project, pending review and approval.
A red-brick building in Seongdong District / Courtesy of Seongdong District Office
Brick was first introduced to Korea in the late 19th century as the Joseon Dynasty encountered Western architecture. Some of the best preserved examples from that era remain in Jeong-dong, including Chungdong First Methodist Church, completed in 1897, and the East Building of Paichai School, finished in 1916.
Brick spread across Korea after the 1950-53 Korean War as a cheap material for reconstruction. In 1964, Seongsu-dong was designated a semi-industrial zone, and by the 1970s it had become a hub of small red-brick factories and warehouses. As industrialization brought waves of migrants to Seoul, red-brick homes also multiplied, cementing the material as the defining feature of Seongsu-dong’s landscape.
As urban manufacturing declined, factory zones in the area shrank rapidly, especially after the 1997 Asian financial crisis. However, starting in the 2010s, many red-brick warehouses were reborn as cafes, galleries and studios, transforming those former industrial shells into cultural landmarks.
A street lined with red-brick buildings in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, is seen in this 2018 file photo. / Courtesy of Seongdong District Office
Now a magnet for pop-up stores, the area has solidified its image as one of Seoul’s trendiest hotspots. According to pop-up store company Sweet Spot, 197 of 677 pop-up events held nationwide in the first half of last year, or 32.1 percent, took place in Seongsu-dong.
Visitor numbers have surged as well. According to Seoul Metro, annual ridership at Seongsu Station on Line 2 climbed from just over 18.5 million in 2014 to more than 32.2 million last year, a 74 percent increase.
Spending by foreign visitors has also surged. Data analysis by Korean magazine Maekyung Economy showed that foreign credit card spending in the area totaled 131.5 billion won in the first half of this year, a 226 percent jump from a year earlier. More than 95 percent was spent on clothing and cosmetics. The north-central section of Seongsu centered around Seongsu Station, which includes popular cafes and pop-ups, also posted the highest year-on-year growth in foreign visitors nationwide, with 580,000 more arrivals than the same period last year.