[Yongsan's Future] Professor Kim Dugyu: "Yongsan is a 'Place to Become Wealthy'... Should Be Developed as a Commercial City"

Interview with Kim Doo-kyu, Expert in Pungsuriji, Woosuk University Professor
'Baesanimsu Terrain' Yongsan, Typical Prime Location
"Water, Constantly Changing... Agile Production Activities"

Hannam-dong Gonggwan Village, 'Left Blue Dragon' Location... Symbol of Honor and Office
"Making Seoul a Bigger City through Yongsan Development"

Yongsan in Seoul is a representative auspicious site in geomancy. It has a typical ‘Bae-san Im-su (背山臨水)’ terrain, with mountains to the north and water flowing to the south. In geomancy, it is believed that “good mountains bring good people, and having water increases wealth.” Yongsan was a good land because Namsan Mountain blocked the cold northwesterly winter winds, and the Han River nearby provided a good source of drinking and agricultural water.

Seoul Future Forum - Professor Kim Doo-gyu, Woosuk University. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

Kim Doo-kyu, a domestic geomancy expert and professor in the Department of Liberal Arts at Woosuk University, especially focuses on ‘water.’ Yongsan was a place where boats docked when boats were the main means of transportation in the past, making it an optimal location for moving and transporting goods nationwide. In modern terms, it is a station area. He evaluated, "Yongsan has the core requirement of an auspicious site, ‘accessibility,’ and is a good site even in modern concepts."

The long history of foreign troops stationed there was also greatly influenced by this location. At the end of the Goryeo Dynasty, Yongsan was a Mongol army supply base, and during the Imjin War, it was used as a Japanese army base. After the First Sino-Japanese War, Qing and Japanese troops were stationed there, and during the Japanese colonial period, it was the location of the Chosun Garrison Command, the central axis of Japanese rule over Korea. After liberation, a U.S. military base was established there.

Going further back, Yongsan was almost chosen as a capital city. During the reign of King Sukjong of Goryeo, two ministers, Choi Sa-chu and Yun Gwan, proposed Yongsan as a candidate for the capital along with Hanyang (the site of the Blue House), Nowon, and Haechon (around Dobong-gu). However, Sukjong chose Hanyang, surrounded by mountains on all sides, as the capital due to concerns about foreign invasions. Professor Kim said, "If Yongsan, which is open with the Han River flowing through it, had been the capital of Goryeo and Joseon, the national fortune would have risen."

Seoul Future Forum - Professor Kim Doo-gyu, Woosuk University. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

According to Professor Kim, Yongsan is not so much a place where the rich live but a place where people become rich. This is also deeply related to water. Farmlands were formed around the river, allowing workplaces to be nearby, and houses were on stable land, gaining trust and credit from the surroundings. Beyond the practical dimension, it also had a positive emotional impact. Professor Kim explained, "Following the ever-changing nature of water, people become sensitive to change, become active and agile in production activities, and naturally prosper." In contrast, Seongbuk-dong and Pyeongchang-dong, close to the Four Great Gates symbolizing power, were places where the rich lived.

In the past, Yongsan’s residential conditions were poor due to its hillside terrain, but as roads and water/sewer systems were developed, wealthy people began to gather. One of them was Lee Byung-chul, the founder of Samsung. Seungjiwon in Hannam-dong, where he lived during his lifetime, is located along Yongsan’s central axis (Namsan-Grand Hyatt Hotel-Seungjiwon-Noksapyeong Station-Dunjisan-National Museum of Korea). Lee was known to value geomancy and actively applied it to corporate management.

Seoul Future Forum - Professor Kim Doo-gyu, Woosuk University. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

Hannam-dong has long been a ‘land of power,’ with official residences of the National Assembly Speaker, Supreme Court Chief Justice, Minister of National Defense, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Professor Kim explained, "If the wealthy area is located on the right side (Right Blue Dragon) of Yongsan’s central axis, the official residence area in Hannam-dong corresponds to the left side (Left Blue Dragon). It symbolizes honor and rank, and here, if one is greedy for money or dishonors their reputation, trouble arises."

From a geomantic perspective, Yongsan is also a key area that will determine Seoul’s future. It is the starting point from which Seoul can extend to the West Sea through the Han River and from the West Sea to the world. Professor Kim said, "If Yongsan is well developed, Seoul can grow into a larger city," and suggested, "If the area inside the Four Great Gates, the capital for 500 years during the Joseon Dynasty, is a ‘symbol of culture, tourism, and history,’ then Yongsan should be developed as a ‘symbol of commerce.’"

He emphasized, "By constructing buildings like New York’s ‘World Trade Center’ on the large sites around Yongsan Depot and Yongsan Station, and making Bamseom Island in the Han River a landmark representing Seoul and the water mouth (수구) of Yongsan, we can attract wealth luck."

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