Seoul City Changes Plans for Songsoo-Dong

The 350,000-pyong (about 1,157,025 m2) area of DookSum in 685 Songsoo-Dong 1 Ga, Songdong-Gu, Seoul will transformed itself into a thickly wooded large natural park in June 2005.

The park will be built for area residents to engage in recreational, cultural, and artistic activities in the middle of Dooksum Forest.

The City of Seoul announced on Monday that it concluded its initial `Basic Plan for Dooksum Forest Construction` through a design contest.

The City plans to collect public opinions through public hearings based on the plan by September, prepare the final plan with the consent of the City Assembly, and start construction in October to be completed by June 2005.

According to the plan, the whole 320,000-pyong area, except the 30,000-pyong establishment area such as Songsoo Station (opened in 2008) on the Boondang Subway Line located to the east of the site and private land to the west, will be changed into forest, park, and public square areas.

The existing public golf course will be changed into a picnic site for families, and an outdoor art gallery will replace the horse-riding site.

A waterside park will be constructed on the banks of the Han River, west of Dookdo Water Purification Facility, to give life to the area.

A 40m-wide road passing through the park from east to west will be constructed as a bridge to insure smooth travel for visitors and to secure a natural `road` for animals.

The city also intends to plant tall trees such as zelkova, gingko, fir, and big cone pines, for people to enjoy when it opens.

In order to accomplish this, the city plans to promote the `Tree Planting in Dooksum Fund` for individuals, organizations, and businesses until the middle of next month, and also plans to have a big tree planting event on May 4.

The City of Seoul originally had in mind a development plan to construct a Cultural Tourist District, which was to have super high-rise hotels, concert halls, and a Chinatown, in the 350,000-pyong area of Dooksum. Mayor Lee Myong-bak, however, canceled the plan after taking office and made the decision to build the large park instead.

Kyung-Joon Chung news91@donga.com