Namsan Library, Gyeongbokgung Subway Station, and Seongsu Bridge Disaster Victims Memorial Tower Selected as 'October Future Heritage'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 30th, Seoul City announced that the ‘Namsan Library,’ a representative public library of Seoul, the unique subway station ‘Gyeongbokgung Station’ with secured exhibition space, and the ‘Seongsu Bridge Disaster Victims Memorial Tower,’ symbolizing the importance of preventing safety accidents, were selected as the Future Heritage of October.

‘Namsan Library’ originated from the Gyeongseong Municipal Library, established in October 1922 during the Japanese colonial period as part of cultural governance. After liberation, it transformed into a public library for the Korean people and was relocated to its current location as one of Seoul’s representative libraries. It was designated as a Future Heritage in 2013.

‘Subway Gyeongbokgung Station,’ which opened in October 1985, is a major station on Line 3 used by about 50,000 citizens daily. Considering its proximity to cultural facilities such as Gyeongbokgung Palace, a nationally designated cultural asset, the station was designed to function as an exhibition hall alongside the subway station, distinguishing it from other stations. For this reason, it was selected as a Seoul Future Heritage in 2018.

The ‘Seongsu Bridge Disaster Victims Memorial Tower’ is a symbolic structure built to commemorate the 32 people who died in the Seongsu Bridge collapse accident in October 1994. It serves as a negative heritage reminding the importance of preventing safety accidents and was designated as a Future Heritage in 2013.

‘Seoul Future Heritage’ refers to the modern and contemporary heritage of Seoul that holds common memories and emotions shared by many citizens. Since its inception in 2013, 489 Future Heritage sites have been designated. To foster public consensus on preserving Future Heritage, Seoul City implements various programs involving citizens, such as photo and sticker contests, online Future Heritage exploration programs, and operating the Future Heritage Hall within Donuimun Museum Village.

Baek Woon-seok, Director of Seoul City’s Cultural Policy Division, said, “We hope that the ‘Future Heritage of the Month’ introduced every month will serve as an opportunity to reflect on the precious treasures around us.”

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