Cheonggyecheon

Cheonggyecheon (Korean: ; Korean pronunciation: [t͡ɕʰʌŋ.ɡje.t͡ɕʰʌn]) is a 10.9-kilometre-long (6.8 mi) stream and public space in downtown Seoul, South Korea. A natural stream sourced from the Suseongdong Valley in Inwangsan, it was historically maintained as part of Seoul's early sewerage until the mid-20th century, when post-Korean War rapid economic development and deteriorating conditions prompted the filling of the stream with concrete and the construction of an elevated freeway, the Cheonggye Expressway, in its place. In 2003, the city government began an urban renewal project to remove the expressway and restore the stream, which was completed in 2005 at a cost of over ₩386 billion (approximately US$281 million). The Cheonggyecheon restoration project initially attracted significant public criticism, but since its opening in 2005 it has become popular among residents and tourists.

Cheonggyecheon is an 10.84 km (6.74 mi) stream flowing west to east through downtown Seoul, and then meeting Jungnangcheon, which connects to the Han River and empties into the Yellow Sea.

The stream was named as Gaecheon ("open stream") after the first refurbishment project to construct a drainage system during the Joseon period. The work, which included dredging and bolstering the banks of the stream and building bridges, was carried out every 2–3 years during this period from the reign of Taejong, the third king of Joseon. King Yeongjo especially undertook the refurbishment work as a national project.

Gaecheon was renamed to Cheonggyecheon, its current name, when Korea was under Japanese rule. During this time, financial difficulties disrupted and prevented Japanese forces from covering up the stream despite several attempts to do so. Beginning in 1406, King Taejong expanded the natural stream by dredging its bed and constructing embankments along both sides. However, damage caused by heavy rainfall continued. In December 1411, the Joseon government established a temporary office called Gaecheondogam to oversee maintenance and improvement work on the stream. By the mid-1950s, the Cheonggyecheon area had become one of the most representative slum districts in Seoul after the Korean War. To address this problem, the Cheonggyecheon covering project was promoted. Although parts of the stream had been covered during the Japanese colonial period and in 1955, large-scale covering of Cheonggyecheon began in 1958. After the Korean War, more people migrated into Seoul to make their living and settled down along the stream in shabby makeshift houses. The accompanying trash, sand, and waste, and deteriorating conditions resulted in an eyesore for the city. The stream was covered up with concrete over 20 years starting in 1958, and a 5.6 km-long (3.5 mi), 16 m-wide (52 ft) elevated highway was opened in stages between March 1969 and July 1976. The area became an example of successful industrialization and modernization of South Korea.

In July 2003, Mayor of Seoul Lee Myung-bak, initiated a project to remove the elevated highway and restore the stream. It was a major undertaking since the highway had to be removed and years of neglect and development had left the stream nearly dry. 120,000 tons of water were to be pumped in daily from the Han River, its tributaries, and groundwater from subway stations. To address the consequent traffic problem, the Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project Headquarters established traffic flow measures in the downtown section affected by the restoration work and coordinated changes in the downtown traffic system based on the research of the Cheonggyecheon Restoration Research Corps. The restoration of two historic bridges, Gwangtonggyo and Supyogyo, was also a contentious issue, as several interest groups voiced opinions on ho

Flows through: South Korea.

River data from Wikidata (CC0); lengths normalised to a common unit.