Did you have a good time at Gwangjang Market? Haha. Visiting local markets can be a very invigorating experience. Merchants are full of energy when they greet their customers, and after you have tried all those delicious foods there, you’ll feel more relaxed and recharged.

With the energy that you have gained at Gwangjang Market, let’s continue our journey on Jongno Modern Trail Course 10, the Trail of History.

To the right side of where you’re standing now is Sewoon Arcade, and to the left is Cheonggye Arcade. But Sewoon Arcade is also name of the cluster of several buildings that stand here because all these 8 buildings were built in the same project.

Until the 1960s, this area was filled with unlicensed buildings. During the Japanese Occupation of Korea, there were many empty clearings in the city to prevent the spreading of fire from bombs of the Allied Forces, and the site of this building was one of them.

It is a long empty clearing like a square that runs north to south from Jongno to Namsan Mountain. But after the Korean War, many migrated to Seoul. Urban space for people to live in ran out, and thus, unlicensed housing sprung up here. Also, a red light district called Jongsam, which is short for ‘Jongno Sam-ga,’ was established here.

In 1966, a plan was set to develop this area. Major of Seoul Kim Hyeon-ok planned a massive cluster of buildings that stretch from Jongno to Toegye-ro. The first plan included clearing off the ground floor to create a road that stretches north to south, connecting each building with skywalks on the first or second floors, and installing hanging gardens on the rooftops.

The plan also included creating road-friendly multi-purpose buildings by putting stores from the first to third floors and apartment housing from the fourth floor up.

With the plan, 8 construction companies, including Hyundai Engineering & Construction, entered the project. It was slightly altered from the original plan by focusing on leases and parcel sales to increase profit. One of the most notable changes is making stores on the ground floor.

At that time, it was considered that first-floor shops would not be able to attract many customers. In the end, the ground floor became more of an entrance to the building rather than a road, and the connections that link each building became vague. Like this, Hyundai Arcade, Sewoon Arcade, Cheonggye Arcade, Daelim Arcade, Sampung Arcade, Pungjeon Hotel, Sinseong Arcade, and Jinyang Arcade came to be.

Although the initial plan was altered, building such a large cluster of buildings in the 1960s was remarkable. There were almost no multi-purpose buildings like them back then, and the apartments here were luxury buildings at that time. At the groundbreaking ceremony of the project, Mayou Kim Hyeon-ok named it ‘Sewoon,’ meaning that it will be the ‘place where the world’s energies come together.’

But the reputation of Sewoon Arcade did not last long. You might have heard about the January 21st Incident in 1968. It is the incident in which armed North Korean commandos infiltrated South Korea and raided the Blue House. With this incident, the government spurred the development of the Gangnam area that was already in progress. With this, the fame of Sewoon Arcade apartments was yielded to houses and apartments in Gangnam and the arcade’s to Yongsan Electronics Market.

In time, these clusters of buildings became iconic images of old urban commercial buildings of Seoul, and the city sought ways to remedy this. One plan was to demolish the buildings to create a green area, and another one was approaching the issue from the view of urban regeneration. As a result, Hyundai Arcade, which was at the very front, was demolished, and the site became a square.

Also, the skywalks were connected so that people could walk from Jongno to Toegye-ro. These days, Euljiro-ga is a popular place for young people, and thanks to this, more people are visiting Sewoon Arcade, approaching via the skywalk.

Now, to the next stop. It is Supyogyo Bridge. You’ll encounter it once you go back down to the Cheonggyecheon Trail and walk a bit. Stop at the bridge that has the Supyogyo Bridge sign on. Supyogyo Bridge, unlike other bridges over the Cheonggyecheon Bridge, is restored with wooden materials so it stands out.