Suwon Buksudong Catholic Church Opens Parking Lot for Public Use

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[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] 'Buksudong Cathedral,' the first cathedral in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, will demolish its fence and open part of its internal grounds as a parking lot for citizens.

On the 29th, Suwon City signed a 'Haenggung-dong Urban Regeneration Project Buksudong King's Alley Special Project Business Agreement' with the Catholic Diocese of Suwon at City Hall.

The 'Buksudong King's Alley Special Project,' promoted as a detailed sub-project of the Haenggung-dong Urban Regeneration Project, aims to create a public passage connecting Suwoncheon Stream, King's Alley, Buksudong Cathedral, and Hwaseong Haenggung.

According to the agreement, Suwon City will invest 320 million KRW from national and city funds (with the cathedral covering 10% of the cost) to demolish the cathedral fence, pave the area with sidewalk blocks to create a parking lot with 37 spaces, and establish a public passage through the cathedral, which will be opened to citizens after mid-January next year.

The public trail starts near Hwaseongmun at Suwoncheon Stream, continues through King's Alley (the alleys around Buksudong Cathedral), Buksudong Cathedral, and leads to Jeongjo-ro in front of Hwaseong Haenggung.

Once the public passage is established, tourists and citizens can walk along King's Alley, visit Buksudong Cathedral, exit through the cathedral's main gate, and go directly to Hwaseong Haenggung. The distance is about 100 meters.

Currently, the route is blocked by the fence of Buksudong Cathedral, so to get from King's Alley to Hwaseong Haenggung, one must go down towards Suwoncheon Chicken Street and then detour about 500 meters by turning right again.

Attendees at the agreement ceremony included Yoo Moon-jong, Suwon City's 2nd Deputy Mayor; Father Yang Tae-young, Secretary of the Suwon Diocese; and Father Hwang Hyun, Director of the Management Office.

Deputy Mayor Yoo said, "Buksudong Cathedral, which will be open to citizens and tourists, will serve as a hub for the public passage connecting King's Alley and Hwaseong Haenggung," adding, "It will be a good example of public-private cooperation."

Built in November 1932, Buksudong Cathedral is Suwon's first cathedral and was declared a Catholic pilgrimage site of Suwon in 2000.

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