Variously translated as Seun Sangga, Sewoon Sangga, Seun Shopping Centre, Sewoon Shopping Centre, Seun Shopping Mall, Sewoon Shopping Mall, etc.
Seun Sangga is a shopping area located between Jongno 3-ga and Toegyero 3-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul. It was renovated in 1966, in what The Hankyoreh described in an editorial as “a symbol of the indiscriminate redevelopment that occurred during the dictatorship years”. In the 1970s, it became known for its pornography vendors; however, in the late 1990s, business declined due to the rise of internet pornography.
Jamsu Bridge – 잠수교
The Jamsu Bridge crosses the Hangang River in South Korea and connects the districts of Yongsan-gu and Seocho-gu. The bridge was completed in 1976, and lies just meters above the waterline, allowing the bridge to submerge during periods of high rainfall. In 1982, Banpo Bridge was built on top of the Jamsu Bridge, creating a two-deck bridge.
Seokchon Lake Park – 석촌호수
Seokchon Lake was originally a part of the Hangang River. There was an island named Burido in the middle of the Hangang River dividing it into two, Songpa River (the north part) and Sincheon River(the south part). In April 1971, a construction to connect Burido with land has started. It was proceeded by enlarging the Songpa River and closing the Sincheon River. By this construction, the closed southern part of the Han River became Seokchon Lake, and the land made by the reclamation project became Jamsil-dong and Sincheon-dong.
In the 1970s, Seokchon Lake used to be a tacky lake right after the construction. So people created a walking trail and planted trees, transforming the area into a park. After some time, Seokchon Lake started to suffer from water pollution, causing foul smells. This caused people to avoid Seokchon Lake Park. In 2001, Songpagu designated it to make into a tourist attraction and did some maintenance business. This caused the water to become clear and the ecological system to be recovered.
The East Lake has a trail which is connected to West Lake under the Jamsilhosugyo (Jamsil Lake Bridge). Beside the trail, there are some facilities including some rest area and public restrooms. At the north side, there is a two-floor building which has the Songpa Travel Information Center on the second floor. In October 2014, the Rubber Duck was held on the East Lake by Lotte Group to celebrate the opening of the new Lotte World Mall. Also, the Super Moon Project was held in September 2016, an art project planned by the art collaborative group FriendsWithYou. The Super Moon is a 60-foot inflatable sculpture surrounded by a garden of eight symbolic planets of color and light.
The West Lake is 112,065㎡ large and is slightly larger than the East Lake. Around the West Lake, there are Seoul Playground and Lotte World’s Magic Island.
From 2010 to 2013, the average water level of Seokchon lake was lowered from 4.63 meters to 4.17 meters. About 4 million tons of water was leaked from Seokchon Lake. Also, several large underground voids and sinkholes were observed near the lake and caused controversy about safety problems. According to an investigation by the City of Seoul, it was caused by massive underground operation from the construction of Lotte World Tower and Seoul Subway Line 9. In 2013, the City of Seoul started supplying water to maintain the lake’s water level. As of 2015, the lake had an average water level of 4.8 meters.