History of Cheonggyecheon Stream

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‘Gaecheon’, the name for Cheonggyecheon Stream during the Joseon Dynasty Joseon Dynasty was established in 1392, and it moved its capital to Hanyang(now called Seoul, South Korea’s capital) in 1394. There was a natural stream running from west to east side of Hanyang, entering the Hangang River. Therefore, when the summer came accompanying severe rain, houses and bridges were swept away, leading to many deaths. After a series of flood damage, King Taejong, the third king of Joseon, mobilized about 50,000 soldiers and embarked on the construction to enlarge and deepen the stream. When this construction was over in 1412, the stream was expanded, embankment was settled, and stone bridges such as Mojeongyo and Kwangtonggyo Bridge were built. From that moment, this natural stream was called ‘Gaecheon’. The 21st king of Joseon, Yeongjo’s dredging construction. During the global Little Ice Age in 17th Century, weather in Joseon was frigid. Thus, people of Joseon engaged in illegal lumbering in order to secure fuels. Since this went on continuously, the mountains were deforested, and this resulted in soil erosion of the bare mountains. The stream became shallow because of the soil that leaked into the stream’s floor; the ground of the stream was almost parallel with the height of embankments during the era of King Yeongjo. A slight rain would lead to flood, causing the submergence of Hanyang. Therefore, King Yeongjo mobilized over 200,000 people in 1760 and undertook 57 days of dredging construction to dig up the soil on the stream’s floor. Due to this construction, the stream was recovered. The king also established the Juncheonsa Government Office and made it responsible for the overall dredging construction. Partial covering construction during the Japanese Colonial Era It is uncertain when the ‘Gaecheon Stream’ changed its name to ‘Cheonggyecheon’, but the newspapers started calling them the ‘Cheonggyecheon Stream’ in 1914. As Japan occupied and exploited Joseon, people who had their homes taken away crowded into Hanyang and settled around the stream. Also, the population of Hanyang tremendously elevated as Japan embarked on the development of South Cheonggyecheon Stream. From 1923, the drain pipes were reclaimed, and as domestic sewages were discharged, they severely contaminated the stream. In 1937, Japan started the Sino-Japanese War. Therefore, in order to smoothen the transportation of millitary supplies, Japan began to cover the area from the Cheonggyecheon's upstream to Kwangtonggyo Bridge. Overall covering construction after the Korean War During the Korean Conflict, the Cheonggyecheon Stream was temporarily clean. However, as the war ended, refugees crowded in Seoul and formed a shantytown around the stream. As time went by, increased amount of people gathered, and an infectious disease spread due to inundating sewage that polluted the stream. Thus, the government began the construction in which they covered the Cheonggyecheon Stream with concretes after tearing down all the bridges on it. The shantytown was torn down, new roads and overpasses were built over the covered stream, and commercial buildings entered. Restoration project of Cheonggyecheon Stream, 2005 Cheonggyecheon Stream was unearthed after 2 years of restoration work in 2005. The concretes were removed, overpasses were pulled down, and 22 new bridges were built. Unfortunately, the upstream and the tributary were not restored, so running water is being discharged at the stream. Despite of several defects, refreshing breeze and clear sky has returned to the Cheonggyecheon Stream, and the stream became a resting place

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History of Cheonggyecheon Stream FAQ

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Korea Tourism Organization and Visit Seoul.

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