🎧 Yul's Korea Audio Guide
Cheonggyecheon Stream
Narrated in English with Korean phrases by YUL of KVIBE IDOLS.
🎵 Background music: Letter on the Wind (바람의 편지) — KVIBE IDOLS · Listen to the full song →
Full transcript
Annyeong, yeoreobun! Yul here. Listen... hear that water? You're in the middle of downtown Seoul and there's a stream. But about twenty-five years ago, you would have heard cars. Welcome to Cheonggyecheon!
In the Joseon dynasty, this stream ran right through the capital. People did their laundry here, and the stream often clogged and flooded. King Yeongjo even took on a big cleanup and dredging project as a national task. A king who cared about drains. Respect!
Then comes the twist. After the Korean War, the area was crowded and the water was dirty. Starting in 1958, the city covered the stream with concrete, and in 1976 a 5.6-kilometer elevated highway was completed right on top.
But in July 2003, Seoul made a bold decision: tear down the highway and bring the stream back. The restored Cheonggyecheon opened in 2005, about 10.9 kilometers long. And the result? Studies found the area along the stream was several degrees cooler than a road a few blocks away, and the variety of plants and animals living here jumped. A highway turned back into a stream. Daebak!
At the starting point, Cheonggye Plaza, look for the giant twisted sculpture called Spring, by artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Seashell? Or... something else? You decide!
Yul's tip! Walk down the steps and follow the water east from the plaza. Summer evenings are lovely, when people sit by the stream and dip their feet in.
Next, let's jump to Gangnam, where an ancient temple faces a giant mall. Kaja!
