The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) announced to renovate Yeouido Park and transform it into a world-class urban green space for the arts and culture in line with the changing status of Yeouido, which has grown into an international financial and business center along with Yongsan, by building a second location of the Sejong Center as a new riverside landmark.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited Hamburg, Germany on Sat, Mar. 18 and toured the newly constructed Elbphilharmonie concert hall, which features a wave architecture designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron on top of the Kaispeicher, an old red-bricked warehouse from the 1960s used to store cocoa beans.

Taking inspiration from the Elbphilharmonie’s innovative architecture and its apt location on the Elbe River, Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced his vision to renovate Yeouido Park and shared details of his plan to expand the Sejong Center that is currently in Gwanghwamun to a second location in Yeouido as a riverside landmark.

As Yeouido Park, despite its central location, has been disconnected from the surrounding eastern and western areas of Yeouido and lacked public accessibility, Mayor Oh Se-hoon decided to renovate the park into an urban green space for the arts and culture. In this regard, the city plans to establish a project plan in the first half of the year by proceeding with a short-term park renovation project and a long-term park connection project.

With the goal of starting construction in 2026, the city plans to transform Yeouido Park into a world-class urban green space fit for the area that serves as an international financial center, and building a second location of the Sejong Center to serve as a new riverside landmark in Seoul. It will include a large performance hall (2,000 seats) and a small performance hall (400 seats) as well as F&B facilities and cultural education facilities in anticipation of users of the to-be-built Port of Seoul.

Seoul expects the opening of the second Sejong Center location in Yeouido Park to bolster the role of Yeouido as a hub for balanced cultural development and strengthened exchanges.