Comments on: Seoul City Hall

By: bulgasari

bulgasari — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 10:57:51 +0000

I’ve noticed people complaining about the removal of the back of city hall, but that part wasn’t built by the Japanese - it’s not present in this 1945 aerial photo. When I found out it was being demolished a month or so before the elections back in May, I wondered if it was a ploy to block Kang Kum-sil’s plans to move city hall to Yongsan by presenting the city with a fait accompli and giving Kang and Uri less room to manouvre in their plans for the city’s development (here are some earlier plans for the new city hall)

A question about the city hall site however - does anyone know what this building (built on city hall’s site - it’s a 1912 photo) was?

By: NathanB

NathanB — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 09:34:51 +0000

I used to pass the City Hall building everyday for a year and a half, and was never quite sure what to think of it. On the one hand, I felt it looked ugly; on the other, it has an architectural unity that is very different from most other buildings around. Nice pictures, Robert, in any case. My own favorite building in Seoul is actually the 63 building. I’m no art critic, but it seems intended to look “futuristic”–as this concept might have envisioned a few decades ago. The Press Building (or whatever they call that thin, glass building with the cylendrical end that sits at some point between the Kyobo Building and City Hall) is easy on the eyes. I also like the Bank of Korea building, as one commenter mentioned, and an older building behind Unhyeongung. In terms of non-traditional Korean buildings, I have always found the city a substantial disappointment. On the other hand, there’s a lot of eye-candy on the sidewalks.

By: michael

michael — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 06:40:11 +0000

The Seoul Station remodel had a lot of potential, then they bunged it up by adding a shopping mall that looks like it was designed by Darth Vader.

The Bank of Korea building is not outstanding but it’s not too bad either:
http://numismondo.com/pm/kor/K.....lock3r.jpg (on some old money)

By: slim

slim — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 06:20:08 +0000

Since when are urban myths insufficient evidence to condemn Japan?

By: sanshinseon

sanshinseon — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 03:06:38 +0000

It certainly is. And I never liked Seoul City Hall very much either;
too squat and dictatorship-monumental looking. From that era,
Seoul Train Station is definitely my favorite…

By: hardyandtiny

hardyandtiny — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 01:52:13 +0000

Funny, that building is one of my least favorites. My favorite work in Seoul is Namsan Park, especially the stairways and seating areas between Myeongdong and the library. I also like the overall Namsan Road experience - the south side between the Hilton and Hyatt is the best drive in town.

By: Darin

Darin — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 01:46:45 +0000

Take a look at the image from Naver that shows how 本 and 弓 are supposed to fit over the building…

I personally think the 弓 claim is even more ridiculous then the 本 one. When I look at it, I see a symmetrical building.

Japan long recognized European architectural style practically demanded symmetries. To me, this looks like a Japanese government building that conforms to European government building standards. But what do I know, I only studied architecture in America and Design in Japan.

By: Nomad

Nomad — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 00:19:01 +0000

Nice pics, Robert. One of these days I’m going to “borrow” one of your panoramas for a header image :).

By: Bipolar Mindscrew

Bipolar Mindscrew — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 22:25:22 +0000

It had the shape of the Chinese character “日’’ which was part of the word “Japan (日本).’’ — Korea Times — but of course, most buildings look kind of square-shaped, eh? Wish I could’ve seen it…

City Hall is one of my favorite buildings in Seoul… I just hope it remains imposing and austere-looking forever…

By: Robert Koehler

Robert Koehler — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 17:08:51 +0000

I’d poured over photos of the building, too, trying to figure out what the hell people were talking about, and I never got it, either.