Communion on the Waters

Every year in August including this year(2023)’s, Saemangeum is holding a festival of K-pop. More info is available on its homepage. Both for professional architects and other involved parties, it’s good to realize more than ever that this kind of initiative is necessary for big waterfront spaces such as this. It was a long time coming though. According to South Korea’s architecture medium Space magazine, Saemanguem was named twice suddenly as development site, first in 1971 and then in 1987. In 2008 and 2010, each of Jeollabuk-do and South Korea’s central government showed their worth.

 

Starting here, I should add that such a lot of material in this article is thanks to Space magazine and The Hankyoreh21, that it would be something of a reiteration to say this / that is quoted from this / that mag. The information on local big events are all from The Hankyoreh21.

  

In the form of skirmishes that is what happened for politics and proposals supplied from firms and universities. the Government announced their own bucolic version of Saemangeum land use in 2007, holding next a huge international symposium on Saemangeum in Seoul. But Jeollabuk-do went the other way, organizing an international competition in mind of creating a global special economic zone on the site. Lots of officials have dreamed of this reclamation project as fit for agriculture, industrial or commercial use. In 2010 a final decision was made for incorporating aru’s work at Saemangeum.

 

For Jeollabuk-do’s sake, there was the MIT proposal, named Saemangeum Spectacle: Roster and Diadem, which earnestly respects and utilizes the river- and sea-front wet nature of the project site. Ring roads are supposed to connect the infrastructure. Its big, southern leisurely and ecological part is diamond-shaped. In this and most of other plans, functional clusters among the green would do their job. As for others, the only Korean institute with a viable, attempted proposal was Yonsei Univ. the top three especially taught us a valuable lesson. Into which we look a little now.

First, filter the above-mentioned three or four major waterfront projects selected in 2009 by Jeollabuk-do in South Korea and you basically get three choices going in terms of greens: a whole lot of greenery or less than half grassland or just a little bitty park. Most of the proposals found themselves standing on the filled-with-earth wide uplands. Judging from all of the plans, it is not often easy to find here and there abundant parks and large-scale greenery. Work up a park, you could say!

 

Coming back to the central government’s plan, Saemangeum was supposed to launch soon the construction of breakwater, finishing the development of 65% of entire land. Interviewed by Space magazine, a final stress was laid on the environment by Hwang Dae–ho, who works for Korea Environment Institute: proper management of water quality has been most difficult in Saemangeum’s case.

 

And we now come back to 2023. The World Scout Jamboree will take place at Saemangeum, Bu-An, Jeollabuk-do in August 2023. The area is huge, at 8.84 kmsquare, having been turned either from salty earth that is sea level or ground land earth above sea levl. Boy and girl scout youths aged 14 – 17 from all around the world will enjoy the experiences of external camping together. The place has long been hyped politically and locally as pet project. Its breakwater was finished in April 2010, and since then the almost 100% farming usage has changed to 70% tourism and commercial use and 30% rural. In 2022 the east-west road axis was completed and in July the north-south axis will see the end.

 

Another recent waterfront news also covered by The Hankyoreh21 is the opening of Suncheonman International Garden Expo 2023 based in RAMSAR-certified Suncheonman wetlands.

This sea-side nature preserve in the southwest region of South Korea is developing bit by bit into a busy landmark in a very beautiful way. Beginning Just this spring (Apri. to Oct. 2023) Suncheonman International Garden Expo is to showcase wholesome construction and various notable events after it's been missing 10 years, especially such as Asphalt road transforming into 'Green Island', 1.03km long as well as five small boats with the same name, Garden Dream carrying visitors taking 15 minutes from the railway station to the Lake Garden. Up-to-date botanic garden, a playground for animal companions, theatre-hosting Secret Garden and a consideration of disabled folks providing easy access to those in wheelchairs and babies in prams.

All over the exposition ground Earthing Ways have been proudly launched, from among them 4.5km Wetland Way supplying the World Nature Heritage and RAMSAR-certified wetland for rare walk on bare feet. In Dongcheon Garden Above Water creates the experience of, almost literally, walking above water. Ticket price was accumulated and donations were made to this festival amounting up to 5.4 billion KRW disount was extended to residents in all of Jeollanam-do. Security is top priority as this is a mega-sized international event. The Mayor of Suncheon, Noh Gwan-gyu, says he welcomes many such future spatial plans, for instance, to turn Suncheon into something along the lines of a "Hub City of Southern Coast Belt".

 

As a break after two heavy development projects, we will briefly go back to Joseon Era. Ulsan’s waterfront greenery is possibly one of South Korea’s earliest waterfront eco-friendly regions, recorded in 1676. I quote from a rather antique book Joseon-eui Imsu – it literally records forest and water circumstances in Korean peninsula. There was an immense stream west to Ulju upon the coast, the farthest from Seoul. In its eastern branch there was a large, wide, clear and deep water. Flowers like apricot flower, strange plants, bamboo and tea leaves endured the wintry seasons. In 1676 the ruler of Gyeongsang-do reported to the government 692 paper mulberry trees, 1907 bamboo trees, and location of a 4ha riverbank plain with a village on it and 20cm-wide 900 thick-stemmed bamboo. And what of now?

The ecotour homepage says after 2004’s manifesto and 2005’s Tae Hwa River Masterplan, Ulsan’s river improved much in terms of quality and ecology. Now you can walk among bamboo forest and watch seasonal dances by herons and rooks. They say riverside companies and factories had a big role here: every one of them took charge of cleaning up each divided portion of the river.

 

These-first two heavyweight developments, Suncheonman and Saemangeum, reflect the current atmospheres of South Korea’s architectural and urban ideas. There are other flourishing more recent projects such as Sebitseom on Han River, comprised by three round, joyful and glossy structures, and Songdo New City, sizewise among the giants. I had an opportunity in the mid 2010s to visit Songdo, and stylish skyscrapers and chic shops were all over the place lookwise.

Worldwide, cities and to-be-cities are developing waterfront projects. Dubai is another extreme example. One might easily say that water goes with ecology. Increasing ecological qualities and doing an impression of the wisdom that has been going into past projects would be the two maximum-charged useful factors needed for future Korean waterfront schemes.