Former Seoul Deputy Mayor Jin Hee-seon 'The Space Coveted by Power'... Published on Cheongwadae, Gwanghwamun, Yongsan

Former Seoul Deputy Mayor for Administration Jin Hee-sun Publishes Three Books While Serving as Special Appointment Professor at Alma Mater Yonsei University

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jin Hee-seon, former Deputy Mayor of Administration 2 of Seoul, has published her third book after retirement, titled "Spaces Coveted by Power."

After graduating from Yonsei University with a degree in Architectural Engineering and passing the 1987 Technical Civil Service Exam (Architecture), Deputy Mayor Jin served in Seoul City for 32 years and is currently a special professor in the Department of Urban Engineering at Yonsei University.

In the era of rapid growth, she was at the forefront of policy formulation and implementation encompassing urban planning, architecture, and housing?from supplying housing through New Town projects, reconstruction, and redevelopment, to urban planning and management for global city growth, and finally to urban regeneration in the people-centered era.

Professor Jin writes in this book, "In an era where absolute powers such as dynastic power, colonial power, and military dictatorship have disappeared, the owners of the state are the people, and power is given to the citizens," adding, "The spaces once coveted by absolute power are gradually returning to the hands of the citizens."

Moreover, power seeks better spaces and builds its own castles there to display authority and induce voluntary obedience from the governed.

Because space governs consciousness.

However, it is human consciousness and will that create space. The ultimate responsibility to innovate human consciousness and properly build the Republic of Korea

lies with none other than the people.

In a democratic nation, leaders cannot be made or elected beyond the level of the people.

This is why the people must become smarter and wiser.

◆Book Summary

All things reveal their existence by occupying space.

Everything with a physical form seeks space. By occupying space, it reveals its existence. Inanimate objects like stones are content with the given space, but living beings clearly define their territories. Plants expand their territory based on fixed space. Animals pre-assign their activity areas, within which they find food, reproduce, and live. The long history of Homo sapiens, who evolved as the master of all creatures over 200,000 to 300,000 years, can be described as a time of territorial expansion and concentration. Humans have continuously moved to favorable climates and abundant food sources to expand their territory. On the other hand, through the agricultural revolution, they increased food production, built cities, and developed civilizations, concentrating their activity areas. The creation of surplus products and human aggregation inevitably gave rise to power. To distribute surplus products, impose order on human groups, control human instincts, and induce cooperation, the organizational force called power is necessary.

Power secures the territory over which its rule extends, imposes duties and responsibilities on the inhabitants, and governs. To demonstrate the legitimacy of its rule and elevate its authority, power creates symbolic spaces and constructs buildings at the center of its territory. Palaces where kings reside and govern, administrative offices managing the country, and fortresses protecting against external invasions were built not only for their functions but also to intimidate and were excessively constructed. This was to elicit compliance and voluntary submission from the governed.

Massive structures like the ziggurat towers of ancient Mesopotamian civilization or the pyramids of Egyptian civilization serve as objects showcasing the power of rulers, overwhelming the gaze of the governed. Standing before these towering buildings that seem to touch the sky, people become solemn and feel compelled to obey the power governing that space. Beijing's Forbidden City overwhelms viewers with its size and imposing buildings. Western medieval churches display the authority of God so majestically and solemnly that they induce voluntary worship from believers.

Power seeks space.

Power builds structures in specific places to justify its rule and induce obedience from the governed. In the West, since ancient times, wide plazas were constructed at the city center, surrounded by monuments or buildings. People conform to power and worship gods in these plazas created by power. In the East, wide Suzaku avenues were built in front of royal palaces to display the majesty of royal authority and induce obedience from the people. Power creates space, and that space demonstrates the legitimacy of power's rule. The magnetic force and grandeur emitted by the space of power stimulate the aesthetic sensibilities of the people, naturally leading them to conform and submit to power's rule.

The medieval Crusades were battles for space to reclaim Jerusalem. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam each sought to prove that their god was the truth and superior by claiming the space of Jerusalem. The firm belief that their god was right and that only their god should inhabit the space led to spatial greed. Humans fight to expand their territory, but power wages war to seek better space. The history of Homo sapiens is the story of human desire and power's greed clashing, breaking, and continuing over territory and space.

What is the most symbolic central space in the Republic of Korea?

It is the area around Cheongwadae (Blue House), Gyeongbokgung Palace, and Gwanghwamun. Why has power coveted this space for the past thousand years? Gwanghwamun is the geographical center of the Korean Peninsula according to geomancy. The energy of the Eurasian continent surges from Baekdu Mountain, the starting point of the Korean Peninsula, travels down the Baekdu mountain range, turns right at Cheollyeong Geumgang Mountain, follows the Hanbuk mountain range, and gathers energy at Bukhansan Mountain. Meanwhile, the oceanic energy of the Pacific starts from Hallasan Mountain on Jeju Island, lands on the Korean Peninsula, steps on Jirisan Mountain, climbs up the Baekdu mountain range, and at Songnisan Mountain turns left, following the Hannam-Geumbuk mountain range to gather energy at Gwanaksan Mountain. The continental energy gathered at Bukhansan and the oceanic energy gathered at Gwanaksan converge at Gwanghwamun below Bugaksan Mountain, making it the prime location where the yin energy of the ocean and the yang energy of the continent harmonize in yin-yang balance. The energy emitted here, where the yin energy that is the origin of all creation and the yang energy that governs growth converge, rightly governs the world and purifies human nature, bringing peace to the people. For the past thousand years, power has coveted the Gwanghwamun area where all the energy of the Korean Peninsula converges.

Seoul's urbanization began a thousand years ago from Namgyeong during the Goryeo Dynasty. A palace was built on the current site of Cheongwadae, and the surrounding people were relocated to Namgyeong, elevating its status as a secondary capital after Gaegyeong. Goryeo established Namgyeong to solidify governance over the southern regions of the Korean Peninsula and strengthen royal authority. Later, the Joseon Dynasty built the capital Hanyang on the urban base that Goryeo desired for Namgyeong. The center of Hanyang was Gwanghwamun. Gwanghwamun was the representative national space and the center of Seoul for 500 years during Joseon and over 100 years through the modern era after the opening of the port. Even after the establishment of the democratic republic of Korea, the Joseon Governor-General's Office residence, built in the rear garden of Gyeongbokgung during Japanese colonial rule, was renamed Gyeongmudae and Cheongwadae and used as the presidential office.

How did the shift of power's gaze to Yongsan change Seoul's urban structure?

President Yoon Seok-yeol escaped from Cheongwadae and moved the presidential office to Yongsan. Although the relocation of the presidential office sparked much political controversy, it triggered tremendous changes in Seoul's urban spatial structure. Moreover, this event, along with the opening of Cheongwadae, the expansion and creation of the new Gwanghwamun Plaza, and the opening of the nearby Songhyeon-dong site to citizens, will cause significant shocks and many changes to the Gwanghwamun-centered urban spatial structure that has lasted for 600 years. The butterfly effect caused by a series of events around Gwanghwamun is only just beginning. The author attempts to gauge the magnitude of the waves that will arise over time. This book traces the changes in spaces coveted by power over the past thousand years and imagines how Seoul's urban structure will change as power's gaze shifts to Yongsan.

This book analyzes the inevitable and inseparable relationship between power and space, examines why power coveted certain spaces, and how those spaces changed with the times. It also shows how social agendas are set as policies and executed through administrative processes. The author vividly experienced how initial plans are adjusted and transformed through struggles and conflicts clashing in the space of power and recorded these scenes in this book. Therefore, the descriptions of policy implementation may strongly reflect the author's perspective. The author asks for readers' understanding on this point.

Nevertheless, this book excludes ideological factional logic or partisan viewpoints. It does not evaluate spatial projects such as the 'presidential office relocation,' 'the great new Gwanghwamun Plaza,' or 'Cheongwadae opening' based on political likes or dislikes. From an urban planning perspective and based on the author's experience, it explores the changes in spaces coveted by power and anticipates future developments. As an urban architecture expert who has executed urban development, maintenance, and regeneration projects on-site, the author analyzes the changes in Seoul's core spaces and the fundamental forces behind those changes. Readers seeking to understand the presidential office relocation from political or security perspectives are advised to consult other books or materials.

Power seeks space to reveal its desires.

However, power changes.

With the changes in power, space and its contents also change.

What kind of space does power seek?

This book traces the answers to all these questions.

The book shows how Cheongwadae, Gwanghwamun, and Yongsan?spaces coveted by power?have changed over time. It consists of six chapters, each written as an independent story yet interconnected. Readers may read the entire book or select parts of interest.

◆Publisher's Review

Everything with a physical form reveals its existence by occupying space. The place where human desire is most intensely concentrated is 'power.' Power builds its castle in symbolic central spaces, asserts the legitimacy of its rule, and displays authority. After a turbulent history, absolute powers such as dynastic power, colonial power, and military dictatorship have now disappeared. With democratization, the owners of the state are the people, and power is given to the citizens. Along with this, the spaces once coveted by absolute power are gradually returning to the citizens.

This book deals with the structural relationship between power and space. The author interprets the core spaces of Seoul, a thousand-year-old city and 600-year capital, through the lens of power's desire. It examines the Namgyeong (today's Cheongwadae) coveted by the Goryeo Dynasty, the Gwanghwamun space coveted by the founders of Joseon, and Yongsan, where the presidential office was relocated under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, exploring spaces coveted by power over a millennium in Seoul.

Goryeo established Namgyeong in Seoul to efficiently govern the southern regions of the Korean Peninsula and strengthen royal authority. The founders of Joseon, who overthrew the Goryeo Dynasty, built Hanyang as the capital. The move to Hanyang bypassed the vested interests of Kaesong elites and changed the game instantly. Namgyeong, coveted by Goryeo, evolved into Hanyang Fortress 300 years later. The core spaces of Hanyang, Cheongwadae and Gwanghwamun, were monopolized by military dictatorship powers through the modern era, including the Japanese colonial period and the opening period. Only in the 1990s, after democratization, did the Gwanghwamun space finally transition to a citizen's space.

The author especially focuses on Gwanghwamun Plaza and its surroundings, paying attention to the changes in power that occurred in that space throughout history. Why do people gather at Gwanghwamun when the nation faces a crisis? In the 19th century, when Joseon stood at the brink of destruction due to foreign invasions, intellectuals and commoners gathered around Gwanghwamun. The Independence Club held the Manmin Gongdonghoe (All People's Assembly) there, worrying about Joseon's future and seeking a way forward. After liberation, the April 19 Revolution opposing Syngman Rhee's dictatorship, the May 16 military coup, and the June Democratic Uprising in 1987 that led to direct presidential elections all took place at Gwanghwamun.

Gwanghwamun is not only a gathering place during national crises but also a venue for national festivals. The epicenter of cheers for Korea's 2002 World Cup semifinal run was Gwanghwamun. The entire nation united, shouting "Republic of Korea!" and celebrated the World Cup victory there. From autumn 2016 to spring 2017, candlelight rallies around Gwanghwamun began after sunset and continued late into the night. On weekends, people from provinces came by tour buses to participate. The cries for "A country where the people are the true owners, a country worthy of the name" echoed throughout the nation centered on Gwanghwamun.

When the nation faces great crises or grand celebrations, we gather at Gwanghwamun. It is the heart of the nation and the spiritual center of the people. Gwanghwamun is a forum for public discourse and a place of celebration. It is a sanctuary for prayer in times of hardship and a battleground for justice against injustice.

The author explains that the May 2022 relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan will bring two major butterfly effects to Seoul's urban structure. First, Yongsan, a transportation hub with access in all directions, overlooking the Han River with Namsan Mountain behind it, had been underdeveloped due to the Yongsan military base. Now, it faces a new turning point. With the accelerated return of the Yongsan base and the visible development of the Yongsan railway depot site, Yongsan, with its diverse future growth potential, will rise as a global city envied worldwide. The Yongsan base will transform from a land of humiliation to a place of blessing.

The other butterfly effect is the change in the Gwanghwamun space. It is intriguing how the Gwanghwamun area, stripped of political power symbolism, will transform. The author believes that the politically neutral Gwanghwamun space will evolve into the historical center of the thousand-year-old city. The breath of traditional culture will deepen, and the fragrance of history will thicken in this millennium-old city. This is the future of Gwanghwamun. With the disappearance of power's space, Gwanghwamun is no longer caught in political whirlpools. The number of rallies and protests has significantly decreased. The opening of Cheongwadae and the timely inauguration of the new Gwanghwamun Plaza add synergy to the spatial changes. The space, once busy and breathless amid noise, dust, commotion, and fumes, has now transformed into a place of quiet contemplation, reflection, observation, and introspection. These two butterfly effects will slowly but powerfully change Seoul's urban space.

Power seeks better spaces and builds its castles there to display authority and induce voluntary obedience from the governed. Because space governs consciousness. The presidential office, built during the dynastic and colonial eras and used by authoritarian absolute powers, was no longer suitable in the democratic era. The concept of national sovereignty and governance changed, and the discord and dissonance arising from using the old space persisted. Since consciousness changed, space had to change. Therefore, several presidents attempted to escape Cheongwadae, and the office relocation aligned with the spirit of the times. The space of a democratic president must differ from that of dynastic or authoritarian absolute rulers. The Yoon Seok-yeol administration succeeded in changing that space.

The author argues that space is created by human consciousness and will. Quoting the ancient text 'Munyeonjeon,' which says, "Good fortune comes to households that do good deeds, and disasters come to those that do not," the author emphasizes the meaning of power and the importance of communication and harmony in this era. Having left the isolation, disconnection, and authority symbolized by Cheongwadae, the stage is set with the presidential office in Yongsan, the center of Seoul and within the people's gaze. Now it is the actor's turn. The government must lead with the will to open an era of communication, empathy, integration, consideration, respect, and coexistence on this completed stage, managing state affairs and national issues. Only then will the people be happy and Korea peaceful. However, the ultimate responsibility to innovate human consciousness and properly build Korea lies with the people. In a democracy, leaders cannot be made or elected beyond the people's level. This is why the people must become smarter and wiser.

◆Who is Professor Jin Hee-seon?

She is devoted to urban architecture research, believing that precious spaces that contain our lives are architecture, and cities are places for community activities and communication. The essence of urban architecture is to create physical spaces where people live and to make places easy to use. Therefore, she writes the 'Urban Architecture Housing Humanities Walk' series, believing that research on urban architecture should be based on humanistic inquiry. To form social discourse on 'urban architecture housing humanities' with many people and study together, she operates the 'Elegant UAHHAN Platform (Urban Architecture Housing Human Platform).'

Current Special Professor, Department of Urban Engineering, Yonsei University

Vice President, Korean Urban Design Association

Former Deputy Mayor of Administration 2, Seoul Metropolitan Government; Director of Urban Regeneration Headquarters; Director of Housing and Architecture Bureau

[Education]

· Seoul National University, Advanced Strategy Course for Construction Industry

· Ph.D. in Urban Engineering, Yonsei University

· M.S. in Urban Planning, Iowa State University, USA

· B.S. in Architectural Engineering, Yonsei University

· Daedong High School, Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Career]

· Born in Hampyeong, Jeollanam-do

· Passed the 23rd Technical Civil Service Exam

· Awarded the Order of Service Merit, Professional Engineer, Registered Architect

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