Dark Sookmyung Underpass Transformed into a Pedestrian Path Lined with Quotations

The once dark and desolate Sookmyung Women’s University underpass has been transformed into a pedestrian space dressed in public art. The Yongsan District Office in Seoul (headed by District Mayor Park Heeyoung) announced on the 11th that it had applied daily-life-oriented public design to the underpass around 99, Cheongparo 47-gil (a stretch of approximately 150 meters).

Sukdae Underpass after improvements. Provided by Yongsan-gu.

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This section is frequently used by Sookmyung Women’s University students and nearby residents and serves as a major pedestrian route connecting Sunheon Hwanggwibi-gil and the Cheongpadong local commercial district. For a long time, graffiti and damage to painted surfaces had given it a dark and closed-off impression.

The district used royal blue, the symbolic color of Sookmyung Women’s University, as the main color and yellow as a point color to enhance visibility and spatial vitality. By using color contrast, it aimed to guide pedestrians’ gaze and to alleviate the psychological anxiety unique to underpasses.

On the walls, they inscribed famous quotations, including Nietzsche’s “Those who dream long enough eventually come to resemble their dreams,” Tolstoy’s “The deeper the winter, the closer the spring,” as well as sayings by Pablo Picasso and Helen Keller.

Students at Sookmyung Women’s University said, “It used to be a space we wanted to hurry through, but the atmosphere has completely changed.” Nearby residents and merchants also said, “It feels much brighter and safer even at night.”

Along with this new project, Yongsan District also inspected and repaired the condition of existing public art works at four locations in the area, including around 1-77 Huamdong. From 2016 to 2024, the district created public art at a total of 48 locations. Recently, it has been expanding target sites beyond retaining walls to underpasses and other idle spaces that residents experience more directly.

Park Heeyoung, Mayor of Yongsan District, said, “This is a case of turning a space that residents passed through every day into public art embedded in daily life,” adding, “We will continue to expand public design along residents’ everyday routes to steadily improve the quality of the urban environment.”

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