Continued Promotion of Gwanghwamun Square Project… Oh Se-hoon Says "Complete Quickly with Improvements and Development"

"Concerns Over Counterproductive Debates and Conflicts Regarding Restoration and Full Reexamination Plans"
Enhancing the Historical Significance of the Plaza: "Restoring the Woldae in Front of Gyeongbokgung and Reviving the Traces of Yukjo Street"
Improvement and Development of Key Spaces Including Admiral Yi Sun-sin and King Sejong Statues
Considering Win-Win Strategies for Revitalization in Connection with the Plaza Surroundings

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is making a statement on the creation of Gwanghwamun Square at the city hall briefing room on the 27th. Mayor Oh stated his intention to proceed with the construction of Gwanghwamun Square as planned. He explained that since a significant portion of the construction has already been completed, reverting the project to its original state could result in a loss of 40 billion won in budget. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has decided to complement and develop the Gwanghwamun Square restructuring project, which faced controversy over its hasty implementation, and to complete it promptly. Mayor Oh considered options such as restoring the original state and a full re-examination, but decided to continue the project due to concerns over at least 40 billion KRW in sunk costs and inconvenience to citizens.

On the 27th, Mayor Oh issued a statement regarding the creation of Gwanghwamun Square, saying, "We explored various options including restoring Gwanghwamun Square to its original state, a full re-examination, and a plan to complement and develop it. The complement and development plan will be based on the current plan but will enhance historical significance and completeness to promptly complete the square project."

Mayor Oh assessed that the restoration and full re-examination plans, which were demanded by civic groups, could rather provoke wasteful debates and conflicts. He said, "The restoration plan would incur at least 40 billion KRW in sunk costs including restoration expenses and would require renegotiation procedures with related institutions. The full re-examination plan would make it difficult to use the square for a long time, causing inconvenience to citizens and raising concerns about further wasteful debates and conflicts."

Therefore, Mayor Oh plans to enhance the completeness of the Gwanghwamun Square restructuring project by complementing and developing the existing plan. Since more than one-third of the construction cost has already been invested, he intends to complete it without reversal.

First, Seoul City announced it will strengthen the historical significance of the square. It plans to restore the Gwanghwamun Woldae (front platform) and revive traces of Yukjo Street such as the sites of Saheonbu and Samgunbu. Mayor Oh said, "Restoring the Gwanghwamun Woldae is an indispensable task for recovering historical significance and will be added to this construction. We will not only revive the traces of Yukjo Street but also actively consider future-oriented plans for cultural heritage preservation and utilization to ensure proper complement."

He also emphasized improving and developing major spaces of Gwanghwamun Square that citizens have loved, such as the statues of Admiral Yi Sun-sin and King Sejong, water channels, and fountains.

Mayor Oh explained, "We will further complement and develop the facilities loved by citizens in the existing square while reviving historical meaning through storytelling. In particular, we will create symbols that highlight King Sejong’s benevolent philosophy to enhance historical significance and design a space that expresses historical facts such as Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s 12 warships and 23 victories in the form of fountains."

He also mentioned considering a win-win strategy to revitalize the area in connection with the surroundings of the square. Mayor Oh said, "Along with the creation of the square, changes in the surrounding areas are very important. We will ensure that public sites such as the Uijeongbu site and Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, as well as private buildings like the KT building, can be linked with the square."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.