10 Oct 2009, Posted by Matt in Historic Korea, Nature, Seoul, Video, 3 Comments

The Cheonggyecheon Stream

Here’s a new video blog about the Cheonggyecheon (청계천), perhaps Seoul’s best-known urban renewal project. To read the original post with photos, go here.

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09 Dec 2008, Posted by Matt in Historic Korea, Nature, Seoul, 7 Comments

The Cheonggyecheon Stream

Much has been written about the Cheonggyecheon (청계천), the 5.8-km restored stream that magically starts in the heart of downtown Seoul and courses through the neighborhoods of Jongno and Dongdaemun before it meets the Jungnangcheon (중랑천) and eventually empties into the mighty Han River.

Completed in 2005, the restoration of the historic waterway was a major success for then Seoul mayor (now president) Lee Myung-bak. It gave the former Hyundai Construction executive international plaudits and “green” credentials as the Cheonggyecheon (“cheon” means stream in Korean) was regarded by many as a major success in urban renewal and beautification. Beauty didn’t come cheap. The initial price tag was estimated to be 900 billion won (approx. $900 million), but an additional $12 trillion won is expected to redevelop the adjacent neighborhoods into major commercial and residential areas.

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