editorial

From an elevated High Line–esque pedestrian park to the world’s fifth-tallest skyscraper, the ongoing redesign of Seoul is picking up pace, as a recent visit attests.
<figure id="attachment_78332" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-78332" style="width: 578px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-78332" src="http://archive.destinasian.com/travel/wp-content/uploads/Seoullo7017-28-665x831.jpg" alt="Here's Why Seoul Has Become More Exciting Than Ever" width="578" height="722" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-78332" class="wp-caption-text">Nighttime on Seoullo 7017, a former elevated highway built to expedite the flow of traffic over the railroad tracks that run into Seoul Station. Photos by Robert Koehler.</figcaption></figure>
If cities were students, <a href="http://www.destinasian.com/?s=seoul">Seoul</a> would have the “most improved” award all but sewn up. Its rapid rise from the crushing legacy of poverty and destruction left by the Korean War was a monumental feat by any stretch, but also saddled the city with a patchy urban canvas and a reputation for bland utilitarianism. So the South Korean capital reinvented itself again, this time with an emphasis on creativity, livability, and visual flair. It now scoops up international design awards and hosts pilgrimages by global architects eager for a glimpse of what has become a kind of poster child for the modern Asian metropolis. High time then, one would think, for Seoul to pat itself on the back and take a well-deserved break.
But no. Because then it would no longer be Seoul, which, much like its denizens, is practically synonymous with a certain relentless—at times reckless—pursuit of achievement. And as I discovered on a recent trip, the new projects emerging around the city only seem to be getting more daring and ambitious. That’s a boon for repeat visitors like myself, who will apparently never be able to say with any confidence that they’ve seen it all. Or even come close. 
Encouragingly, the Seoul Metropolitan Government generally eschews the let’s-bulldoze-this-neighborhood-to-make-way-for-another-boxy-shopping-complex approach to progress. The latest case in point is Seoullo 7017, an elevated park running through the heart of the city. It’s regularly compared to New York City’s High Line, but it couldn’t possibly have emerged anywhere else.
<figure id="attachment_78333" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-78333" style="width: 570px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-78333" src="http://archive.destinasian.com/travel/wp-content/uploads/LotteTower-6-665x831.jpg" alt="Here's Why Seoul Has Become More Exciting Than Ever" width="570" height="712" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-78333" class="wp-caption-text">Views over central Seoul and the Nam River from Korea&#8217;s highest observation deck. Dubbed Seoul Sky, it is located 500 meters up Lotte World Tower, which debuted in April as the country&#8217;s first supertall skyscraper.</figcaption></figure>
So, the name … let’s get that out of the way first. Seoullo is an approximate English transliteration of the Korean words for “Seoul Road.” The 70 commemorates the year (1970) the former highway overpass that forms the bulk of the park was constructed. And 17, of course, refers to the park’s opening earlier this year. It may not roll off the tongue, but like so many other seemingly obscure things in Korea, the moniker is underpinned by a certain intricate logic and reverence for history. 
Having seen designs for the project—by Dutch architects MVRDV—in advance of my visit, I was prepared for Seoullo 7017 to dazzle. And that it does, rising gracefully from, then arching over, the city’s central streets like a garden in suspended animation. The flora—nearly 24,000 plants and trees with an emphasis on native species, all carefully tagged and housed in molded beds—is, collectively, the park’s star attraction. 
Or rather it will be, since many of what will be the more magnificent examples are still in their infancy. But Seoullo 7017 is also equipped with observatories and fountains, cafés and souvenir shops, trampolines and puppet theaters, all tiny and tucked into unobtrusive, capsule-like designs so as not to unfairly lord it over their surroundings. The diminutive scale of many of its amenities gives the venue a toy-town feel in places that’s distinctive, endearing, and just ever-so-slightly surreal. 
None of this is to dismiss the park as pint-size. Certainly, it’s not a creation that dazzles with its scale; in its current incarnation (extensions are planned), it takes no more than a half-hour or so to walk from end to end, even factoring in some sightseeing time. But it’s impossible to overstate how much Seoullo 7017 has already changed the areas around it. 
To explain this one must go back a decade or two, to when the old Seoul Station, while a magnificent Renaissance-styled structure in its own right, was surrounded by what can only be described as an urban planner’s nightmare. A hodgepodge of roaring, multilane roads, questionably placed crosswalks, shadowy tunnels, and disused tracks made navigating the area around the station an unpleasant prospect for pedestrians. People tended to stay away, and the neighborhood took on a somewhat dilapidated character as a result.
<figure id="attachment_78331" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-78331" style="width: 544px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-78331" src="http://archive.destinasian.com/travel/wp-content/uploads/Seoullo7017-14-665x831.jpg" alt="Here's Why Seoul Has Become More Exciting Than Ever" width="544" height="680" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-78331" class="wp-caption-text">Seoul&#8217;s new Seoullo 7017 elevated walkway is pat of an ongoing regeneration effort that has seen the creation of traffic-free streets and redesigned sidewalks to make the South Korean capital more pedestrian-friendly.</figcaption></figure>
But Seoullo 7017 has brought entirely fresh perspectives on the district, as well as new means of exploring it. Walkways now lead directly from the park into glistening new buildings that seem to be multiplying, as well as to historic markets and sights in the vicinity, like the city’s old gates and walls. Taken in at leisure from above at dusk, Seoul Station’s quasi-Moorish main dome, the LED pyrotechnics splashed across office towers, even the traffic lights, meld into breathtaking visual crescendos. Cars are forced to navigate around broad pedestrian islands where children can now roam (relatively) freely.
While not without its detractors, Seoullo 7017 is admirable in terms of what it says about the city’s priorities. By adapting an obsolete overpass that was widely viewed as an eyesore, the government hopes to show it is “moving past an era of rampant demolition, based on the idea of erasing and writing a new history” toward a “new era of urban generation that seeks to repair and reuse,” says Lee Soo-yeon, general manager at the Seoullo 7017 Management Office.
“The opening of Seoullo 7017 marks more than the birth of a new attraction,” Lee adds. “It’s a declaration that Seoul belongs to the people, and does not cater only to the vehicles that fill its streets.” 
 
Of course, if sheer scale is what you’re after, Seoul can cater to that too. The city’s other landmark opening of 2017 was the <a href="http://lwt.co.kr">Lotte World Tower</a>, the latest addition to the global supertall-skyscraper family. Viewed from a distance—easy enough to do from just about anywhere in the city—there’s something almost sinister in the way the tower looms over the surrounding department stores and apartment blocks, like so many petitioners gathered humbly at its feet. Get a bit closer, and it’s easier to admire the building’s obvious grace; the way its bulbous base tapers into a delicate “lantern” tip that flares to life at dusk; the pale glass exterior designed to evoke Korean porcelain.
<figure id="attachment_78337" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-78337" style="width: 665px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-78337 size-large" src="http://archive.destinasian.com/travel/wp-content/uploads/DSC_2424-665x400.jpg" alt="Here's Why Seoul Has Become More Exciting Than Ever" width="665" height="400" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-78337" class="wp-caption-text">The walk-through aquarium at Lotte World Mall.</figcaption></figure>
At 555 meters, Lotte World is not the tallest building on the planet (it ranks fifth). But it is the highest in Korea by a long stretch and has a few other vertical records up its sleeves, including the world’s fastest elevator and highest glass-bottomed observation deck. The latter, at 500 meters above street level, is worth a stop—if not for the unparalleled views of the metropolis and mountains on its periphery, then simply to witness the sheer terror of people confronted with stepping onto what their minds are stubbornly insisting is a long drop to the streets far, far below. I saw more than a few young people (men and women) clinging desperately to their dates; the older folks seemed more sanguine. Closer back down to earth, the attached Lotte World Mall has swiftly blossomed into what could be Seoul’s premier self-contained retail destination, with a star-studded roster of local and global brands, half a dozen dedicated “food streets,” and an aquarium. 
My final stop was a humbler but, in its own way, no less notable addition to the exclusive Gangnam district: the Hyundai Card Cooking Library. Again, the name is not a straightforward indicator of what lies within an arresting metal-clad building on a quietish side street. While the four-level space contains thousands of books by renowned chefs and critics exploring the world’s cuisines, it is less a library than a temple to the entire culinary experience. The ground floor houses a deli with fresh-baked goods and tempting displays of cheeses and cold cuts; tables present living recipes with all the ingredients beautifully laid out. Ascending the stairs, mouth watering, I leaf through a few tomes before making a detour to the Ingredients House, a proto-laboratory where almost 200 spices, herbs, and oils used in dishes around the world can be inhaled, mixed, and sampled.
<figure id="attachment_78336" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-78336" style="width: 533px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-78336" src="http://archive.destinasian.com/travel/wp-content/uploads/HyundaiLibrary-5-665x831.jpg" alt="Here's Why Seoul Has Become More Exciting Than Ever" width="533" height="666" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-78336" class="wp-caption-text">Inside the Hyundai Card Cooking Library</figcaption></figure>
The space itself, designed by local architects One O One with interior work by London’s Blacksheep, contributes heavily to the atmosphere by maintaining a sense of openness throughout; the lack of barriers between levels leaves sights, sounds, and smells free to circulate throughout the building. On the upper floors, the dreams and ideas generated downstairs are brought to life in two state-of-the-art kitchens, where visitors can sign up for hands-on classes. Or they may elect to sit down for a meal in a stunning rooftop greenhouse, where star chefs are known to hold court with dishes featuring produce plucked from the outdoor garden. 
Remarkably, this is no less than the fourth such “library” funded by credit card issuer Hyundai Card over the past couple of years, with previous projects exploring themes such as design and music. (For now, they are only open to guests accompanied by Hyundai Card holders, though those aren’t hard to find.) 
It might seem odd for a consumer finance business to support the creative pursuits with such abandon, but according to Nayoung Kim of the Hyundai Card brand team, it’s all part of an effort to “encourage the pursuit of a higher quality lifestyle.” Those words, it occurs to me, could also serve as Seoul’s mission statement these days, and I’m already wondering what might be in store for my next trip. 
The Details
Hyundai Card Libraries
<a href="https://newsroom.hcs.com/front/board/Hyundai-Card-Music-Library-2?country=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">newsroom.hcs.com</a>
Lotte World Tower &amp; Lotte World Mall
<a href="http://lwt.co.kr">lwt.co.kr</a>
Seoullo 7017
<a href="https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/svc/contents/contentsView.do?vcontsId=66333&amp;menuSn=351" target="_blank" rel="noopener">english.visitkorea.or.kr</a>
This article originally appeared in the <a href="http://www.destinasian.com/magazine">October/November 2017</a> print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“High Times”).

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