A view of the Seun Arcade last July . The building connects Jongno 3 - ga with Toegyero 3 - ga in Seoul . This building was South Korea ' s first residential building with a commercial area inside the building and plainly reflects the urban philosophy of Seoul . This building which was built as part of a downtown redevelopment project after the Korean War was once the center of the electronics and electrical industry , but has long been in a state of decline . The city of Seoul is deliberating ways to renew the building . ㆍ In Search of the Urban Philosophy of Seoul ▲ Thirty - six years since the release of the first maintenance plan , the project still remains a mystery -- practically neglected . Focus on a solution , " new purpose of use and restoration " The population is almost 10 . 4 million . The income per capita is $ 28 , 739 . The sustainability of the city is seventh in the world . This is the progress Seoul has achieved in 60 years -- Seoul , once a city which had lost everything in the war . It ' s been seventy years since the city reclaimed its lost name , Seoul , not Hanseong , after independence from Japan . The population which was only 3 . 4 million in 1964 has now grown to three - fold that number , and one out of every five people in this country have settled in Seoul . The income per capita which had failed to reach $ 100 in 1961 is now more than 300 times that figure . The city has the world ' s ninth expensive consumer prices , the unemployment rate among the young adults exceeds 10 %, and 36 % of the young adults living alone do so in poor housing conditions . A city full of chaotic streets and old Soviet - style concrete apartments , the world ' s third worst city full of soulless monotony ( according to Lonely Planet Seoul ) : this is another report card of Seoul for having marched forward in search of growth and efficiency . South Korea underwent dramatic changes . Then what kind of urban philosophy does Seoul , the capital of South Korea , hold ? ■ " Seoul ' s Philosophy " and the Seun ArcadeThe fate of South Korea , which found itself at the center of the Cold War after liberation , left its marks throughout Seoul . Japan started the Pacific War at the end of the 1930 s and Hanseong also underwent preparations for an air strike . There was a straight broad road running from east to west along the Cheonggyecheon dividing the area within the four main gates . In order to prevent a fire from spreading throughout the entire city along this road after a possible air strike , Japan paved new roads running north and south . The area before the royal shrine , Jongmyo , was no exception . In the center of Jongno , Japan created roads 50 meters wide and 1 kilometer long , but Japan was defeated two months after creating such huge vacant spaces . The joy of independence came to Seoul , but the city soon collapsed into rubble due to the Korean War . The refugees began building shacks in the old vacant roads the Japanese had built in the center of Jongno . After the war , this area became a slum with its brothels . For the military regime which accelerated efforts to redevelop downtown in the 1960 s , this slum was an eyesore . So it decided to tear the shanty towns down and build a landmark of the city . The architect Kim Swoo - geun suggested building the Seun Arcade , which would be the first residential building with a commercial area inside , along this road . Ahn Chang - mo , a professor of architecture at Kyonggi University said , " In the process of restoration after the Second World War , the whole world pondered over whether to restore the old cities or to create a new identity , " and explained that in South Korea , former President Park Chung - hee and the Kim Swoo - geun - style of modernism combined to create the Seun Arcade . The Seun Arcade , which was built with the desire for economic growth , became the center of the electronics , electrical , and machinery industries . As the standard of living improved and the demand for TVs and computers increased , this building led the massive industrial ecosystem in the Gangbuk region . There was no part you could not find or anything they could not assemble in this building . It is no wonder that people said , " They even make missiles at the Seun Arcade . " In the apartment building in the upper stories , there was a supermarket , indoor driving range , and a fitness center . By the 1970 s , the residents here were already enjoying the life which people in other regions would taste only in the 1990 s . Like the name of the building , this building " gathered all the energy of the world , " but things began to shake after the January 21 incident in 1968 . Armed communist guerrillas came and tried to attack Cheong Wa Dae . As anxiety over security spread , " Gangnam instead of Gangbuk " became the mainstream . The government started the engine for development in the Gangnam area and in 1979 Seun Arcade underwent changes . In the 1990 s when the Yongsan Electronics Market emerged , people visited the Seun Arcade less frequently and the building had no further use in the modernization of Seoul . Even the memories of pirate records , erotic videos , and racy magazines paled away . In 2007 , at last , a plan to demolish the building was confirmed . But the urban planning which excluded the residents triggered conflicts . With a floor space ratio of over 700 %, the land prices soared with expectations of redevelopment . The burden placed on the residents for redevelopment grew heavier and discord was heard inside and outside the building . As the real estate market slowed down due to the global financial crisis , the feasibility of the project itself became a mystery . More than thirty years after the first maintenance plan was released , the Seun Arcade was neglected . ■ History of Disorder : Seoul ' s SolutionSeoul accomplished technical development and economic growth by catching up with the pace of industrialization in European and American cities , which had been ahead by more than a hundred years . Thanks to these efforts , chaotic spaces are scattered throughout the city and inequality has permeated the lives of the citizens . Bart Reuser , a Dutch architect who studied urban planning in Seoul interpreted Seoul ' s downtown landscape as " the trace of a battle for survival . " In his book , Seoulutions , the architect talks about the " solution of Seoul , " which has endured a tough life for over half a century since liberation . According to Reuser , the houses which increased area by horizontally and vertically adding and patching spaces and which connected the doors on each floor to an external staircase showed that urban structures were breathing and living beings . He focused on the area surrounding Hongik University where residential areas and commercial districts were entangled -- houses which renovated the first floor into offices , and markets with their artists ' studios . The constant change in the Hongdae area , which accepted unexpected changes and which held the socio - economic demands represent how dynamic Seoul is . In the process , illegal construction was absorbed into society and legitimatized and this flexibility Reuser saw as a unique element of urban transformation in South Korea . In order to maximize the economic effect without greatly deviating from the legal boundaries such as floor space ratio and height restrictions , the buildings included expedient measures little by little and this showed the struggle to survive in this city . Currently , Seoul is searching for a philosophy which can be an alternative for growth . It is starting to change its way of thinking : instead of tearing down the old and building a new building , the old building can be renovated and the cluttered memories can also be an asset . We can " renew " a city without " redeveloping " it . As for the Seun Arcade , the city is discussing ways in line with this direction to use the accumulated technology and connect it to the industry in Gangbuk instead of tearing the building down . The city has decided to improve the pedestrian environment so the building can once again meet Cheonggyecheon which was restored in 2006 . Lee Dong - yeon , a professor of Korean arts at the Korea National University of Arts said , " The building and discovering the cultural significance people consume in the building are important just as well as ecological renewal . Restoring the memories and history of the Seun Arcade is also creating the city ' s resources . " 모바일 경향 [ 경향 뉴 스진 | 경향신문 앱 | 모바일 웹 ] | 공식 SNS 계정 [ 경향 트위터 ] [ 페이스북 ] [ 세상 과 경향 의 소통 커뮤니티 ] - ⓒ 경향신문 ( www . khan . co . kr ) , 무단 전재 및 재 배포 금지 〈 경향신문 은 한국 온라인 신문협회 ( www . kona . or . kr ) 의 디지털 뉴스 이용 규칙 에 따른 저작 권 을 행사 합니다 . 〉