Daejeon Hanbat Sports Complex to Launch 'Documentation Project' Before Demolition

A panoramic photo of the current Hanbat Sports Complex scheduled for demolition in March next year. Provided by Daejeon City

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Daejeon City is promoting a documentation project before demolishing Hanbat Sports Complex. Hanbat Sports Complex is scheduled for demolition in March next year to make way for the new baseball stadium, 'Baseball Dream Park.'

According to the city on the 23rd, the documentation project will proceed through architectural surveys, archival research, and oral history interviews.

Unlike typical architectural documentation projects, this initiative will also include photographs, newspaper articles, various documents, and interviews with related figures to ensure that Hanbat Sports Complex remains not just a building but a monumental place preserving Daejeon's history and citizens' memories.

The documentation project will begin next month and record the entire process until the demolition in March next year. The accumulated materials will be exhibited in the 'Memorial Hall' to be established within Daejeon Baseball Dream Park.

Originally, Hanbat Sports Complex was built in 1979 to serve as the venue for the 'Gapnyeon Games,' the 60th National Sports Festival. The design was undertaken by Korea's representative architect Kim Swoo-geun (Kim Su-geun, 1931?1986).

Kim Swoo-geun, known for designing the 1988 Olympic Main Stadium inspired by traditional Korean white porcelain, also designed Hanbat Sports Complex with similarly soft and familiar curved forms.

Previously, Hanbat Sports Complex was also used as a large sports ground created in the late 1950s by citizens who raised funds, built earthen embankments, and leveled the land. Considering this, some view the history of Hanbat Sports Complex as 60 years rather than 40 years.

Son Cheol-woong, Director of the City’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau, said, “Since 2018, the city has been conducting comprehensive documentation projects on important local buildings and places under the name ‘Urban Memory Project.’ We will actively investigate and document non-designated and non-registered modern architecture like Hanbat Sports Complex, moving beyond the narrow framework of designated cultural assets.”

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