I was in Myeong-dong on Sunday to have lunch with Mrs. Marmot and her friend, so I tried out the new camera on some old favorites in the neighborhood.
NOTE: For full-size images, see the Flickr slideshow here.
Bank of Korea Building
Completed 1912, the Renaissance-style Bank of Korea Museum — designated Historical Site No. 280 — was originally the Bank of Choson, the central bank of Japan’s Korean colony. After Liberation, it became the headquarters of the Bank of Korea, and is now a currency museum.
The bank was designed by British-trained Tatsuno Kingo, one of the fathers of contemporary architecture in Japan and designer of Tokyo Station and the Bank of Japan (with which the Bank of Korea shares similarities). You can find photos of his work in Japan here.
Former Myeong-dong National Theater
Set to re-open in May, the former Myeong-dong National Theater of Korea is in the latter stages of a major renovation to transform it into a modern art and culture center. The structure served as the National Theater of Korea from 1957 to 1973, when the current home of the National Theater was completed.
The rather striking building, completed in 1936 and designed by a Japanese architect named Tamata, was originally the Meiji-za Cinema. In the colonial era, there were seven movie theaters concentrated in the Myeong-dong area. A couple of these actually lasted quite a while… or at least until the owners got wind that the authorities might designate them cultural properties. The owner of the Gukdo Theater (also designed by Tamata around the same time) suddenly demolished that landmark theater in 1999 before it could be designated a protected building, while the owner of Theater Scala did the same in 2005 after the Cultural Heritage Administration notified him that it intended to register the property as a Modern Cultural Heritage.
The Myeong-dong National Theater, however, got lucky. In 2003, the Ministry of Culture — acting at the request of the arts community — acquired the property for renovation into a 550-seat dramatic arts theater, thus saving one of Seoul’s historical treasures from the wrecking ball. The interior, of course, will be completely transformed… which is fine, since it was completely renovated in the 1970s when it was used as an office by a local brokerage firm. The ornate Baroque exterior is being preserved as is.
Well, everyone likes seasoned odeng.
Namdaemun-no KEPCO Building
Completed in 1928, the Namdaemun-no KEPCO Building — originally the headquarters of the colonial Keijo Electric Company — was Korea’s first earthquake-proof and fire-proof building. One might ask, of course, why the Japanese would spend the money to build an earthquake-proof building in Seoul, a city with little seismic activity. The answer would be that in 1928, the Japanese were feeling a tad paranoid about earthquakes, being only five years after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. And besides, what good is it having a colony if you can’t use it to experiment with new engineering techniques?
The building, located across the street from the Lotte Hotel, has the honor of being designated Registered Cultural Property No. 1. It is still used as an office.
Gwangtonggwan
One of Korea’s oldest bank buildings, the Gwangtonggwan — located up from the KEPCO Building and near the Cheonggyecheon Stream — was completed in 1909, although it was rebuilt after a fire in 1915. Constructed of brick and stone, it’s a lovely structure with ornate decoration and two grand Baroque domes.
Former USIS Library
Located on Euljiro 1-ga and across from the front entrance of the Lotte Hotel, the Former USIS Library — now used as an annex by Seoul City Hall — was built in 1938 as the Seoul office of the Japanese trading company Mitsui & Co.
In 1985, it became Seoul’s USIS Library, and it for this that the building is most famous. In May 1985, leftist students seized the library and occupied it for three days, demanding a public apology from the United States for the Gwangju Massacre and an end to support for Chun Doo-hwan. They got neither, and they eventually left on their own, but it was one of several attacks on USIS libraries in the 1980s, beginning with the 1982 burning of the USIS Library in Busan (killing a Korean student who was studying in the library at the time), and continuing on through the 1985 seizure, the attempted firebombing of the USIS Library in Gwangju in 1989, and another seizure of the USIS Library in Seoul the same year. Oh, and the Seoul library was firebombed, too, in 1990.
Apparently, this is just the tip of the iceberg — see here for more attacks on USIS libraries in Korea (at least from 1987).
Architecturally, the structure is quite modernist, with almost nothing in the way of external decoration.
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The main reason why Seoul have so many quality Japanese occupational buildings is because Japan wanted turn Seoul into new capital of imperial Japanese empire. After the great Kanto earthquake and several tsunami incidents during early 1900s, Japanese government wanted Seoul (Keijo) as their new capital. If you don’t believe me, try visiting some of the colonial housing complex in Seoul, many prominent Japanese ruling family had house in Seoul before they fled.
Re: the Former USIS Library/City Hall annex
1) Thanks for that fas.org link, Robert. Good to know the last attack in Korea on US embassy property was in 1996.
2) I want to read more about the 13 Oct 1989 takeover of the U.S Amb. Residence-Seoul, South Korea. Anyone got any details/links?
3) Looking at the 18 attacks in Korea between Feb 1988 and Oct 1989 is certainly interesting when you put it in perspective. What short memories we all have. There are some who say that incidents of Korean violence against foreigners in general is increasing. Looking at that table, unless all those 18 acts were committed by the same person, I would say that Korea is now *less* violent, at least politically so, towards foreigners than it is now. I was not here in the late 80s, but have spoken to people who were, and they have never mentioned to me the frequency of attacks on US (what about other?) embassy installations. This surprises me. It is something I think I would remember, especially if I were American. Are there any figures on injuries caused by these attacks?
4) Back in the late 90s there was a series of excerpts that ran in the Korea Times from the memoirs of a former US state department guy who ran the USIS in Korea, and was there when the attacks on the Seoul USIS happened. Does anyone remember the name of this chap, and/or the title of his memoirs? Sadly, the Korea Times online archive is woefully incomplete.
5) Is this not also the same building in the basement of which is that venerable old Seoul institution: La Cantina, the oldest Italian restaurant in Seoul? For those who have not yet had the pleasure of eating there and checking out the 1960s decor (complete with full suit of armor!), please – do yourselves a favor.
#1: “try visiting some of the colonial housing complex in Seoul?”
I want to know where these historical gems are hiding.
But that does remind me that some individual houses are still standing, but scattered here and there. There is a particularly lovely example behind/beside the Jogyesa temple and between it and Somerset Palace in downtown Seoul near Anguk station. I have wondered for years who built it and who lives there now, but I never see anyone coming or going.
Anyone got any leads?
Some really interesting pics, thanks! I’ve often wondered about a few of those buildings. Interesting that they were all built during the Japanese occupation…..are Koreans capable of nice architecture? I personally really like the new arcade in Insadong, thinks it’s called Ssamji-gil, but other than that nothing else springs to mind….
Robert,
Do you shoot in JPEG or RAW?
Regarding the Former USIS Library, would this be the same Mitsui Co. bldg that sat near the original Bando Hotel? If so, I believe this site was requisitioned along with the Bando for the US military administration, and subsequently the US embassy, after WWII. I’ll try looking up the USIS guy to ask if he knows if this is where they put the dependents’ school back when Anna Wallis Suh (Seoul City Sue) was tutoring the kids.
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