Name: [Cultural Excursion] 'Exploring Urban Regeneration in the Seoul Station Area' with Robert J. Fouser
Start: 2026-06-06T13:00:00+09:00
End: 2026-06-06T17:00:00+09:00
Location: 충정로역

[Cultural Excursion] 'Exploring Urban Regeneration in the Seoul Station Area' with Robert J. Fouser

TITLE: Exploring Urban Regeneration in the Seoul Station Area
LEADER: Robert J. Fouser
DATE: Saturday, June 6, 2026, 1:00-5:00PM
DESTINATION: Seoul Station Area
COST: W25,000 for RAS Korea Lifetime and Annual Members; W30,000 for Non-members
MEETING POINT: At the top of Exit 3 of Chungjeongno Station (충정로역, Line 2 and Line 5) at 1:00 PM

DESCRIPTION:
In 2017, the city of Seoul completed a controversial project to turn the high overpass near Seoul Station into a green walkway featuring potted plants. Called Seoullo 7017, the project drew renewed attention to long-overlooked areas around the station. During this excursion, we will explore the area in detail, focusing on the effects of urban regeneration efforts in the 2010s. Throughout the walk, we stop to look at various types of residential architecture that reflect the changes in Seoul since the early 20th century.
We will begin our walk at Chungjeongno Station (Line 2) and explore nearby neighborhoods that contain a mixture of hanoks, 20th-century Western-style houses, and some of the earliest apartment buildings in Korea. Most of the area is slated for redevelopment into apartments. As we head in the direction of Seoul Station, we will stop at the historic Yakhyeon Catholic Church (founded 1891), the oldest Western-style brick building in Korea. The current building is a restoration of the 1892 church.
Our walk will then take us to Sohn Kee-chung Park on the former site of Yangjeong High School. Sohn Kee-chung (1912–2002) won a gold medal for the marathon at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin and became a hero to Koreans for bowing his head in protest rather than face the Japanese flag during the playing of the Japanese national anthem. He was given the honor of carrying the Olympic torch into the stadium at the opening of the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.
Next, we wind our way through narrow alleys and end up at the Malli Market, an example of a market moved indoors during the 1970s that became a site for an urban regeneration project in the late 2010s. From here, we will follow the neighborhood commercial street leading toward Hyochang Park and Sookmyung Women’s University. Kim Koo and the “Three Martyrs” of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, Lee Bong-chang, Yoon Bong-gil, and Baek Jeong-gi, are interred in the park.
The last area on the walk is Huam-dong on the other side of Hangang-daero, the main street that passes in front of Seoul Station. The area has many houses from the Japanese occupation period in Seoul because hills and narrow alleys have made new construction difficult. Cafés, bars, and shops began to open in the Japanese-style houses in the 2010s, which helped revitalize the area without excessive gentrification. At the end of our walk, we will visit the thriving Huam Market. From there, we will walk to Seoul Station where the excursion will end.
We will meet at the top of Exit 3 of Chungjeongno Station (Line 2 and Line 5) at 1:00 p.m. The excursion will end at Seoul Station around 5:00 p.m. The course has a number of inclines, so comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Participants are invited to join Robert for coffee or an early dinner (not included in the excursion fee) after the walk.

REGISTRATION: RSVP by June 4 (Thursday) with payment of the fee via bank transfer. Please register one RSVP at a time.
RSVP: https://forms.gle/cAaQNc7gWjpkkRGF7
☞Payment to be remitted to the following account:
SHINHAN BANK ACCOUNT # 100-026-383501 (RAS-KB)
*Reservation is not confirmed until payment has been received by RAS Korea in advance of the event.