Overcrowded plaza

By Editorial Desk
Publisher:The Korea Herald - Publication Date: 16-12-2007

A new showcase of Korean culture and history will be built in the form of Gwanghwamun Plaza, according to Seoul City Hall, which unveiled the blueprint for a new downtown plaza.
The 34-meter-wide Gwanghwamun Plaza will run along the 740-meter stretch of Sejongno from the Gwanghwamun Gate to the Cheonggye Plaza. It is the latest of the public plazas that have sprouted up along Sejongno and Taepyeongno, the main downtown arteries.
The biggest concern regarding the Gwanghwamun Plaza project is that the 16-lane Sejongno will be reduced to 10 lanes. Mayor Oh Se-hoon sought to assure the public that while traffic would slow, it would not be too terrible. In simulations, the average travel speed was reduced by about 19 percent to 17.9 km per hour to 18.7 km per hour once alternate routes are opened, according to City Hall.
For Seoul residents, it is yet another inconvenience that has to be endured as the city spruces up, attempting to create a new image as a city of culture and history. However, in exacting such a sacrifice from the citizens, the city government must make sure that the Gwanghwamun Plaza can be enjoyed by everyone. People in the Gwanghwamun area should not have to suffer the plaza turning into yet another venue for protestors of all stripes.
The City Hall Plaza was built on the premise that it would be for the cultural welfare of the people. For a green lawn that is taken over by protesters on many days, Seoulites have to put up with traffic congestion as well as detours. In the summer, ordinary citizens who want to sit on the lawn are told by on-site supervisors to remove their shoes to protect the grass. However, none of the protesters who seize the City Hall Plaza virtually every weekend are ever seen barefoot.
Another problem with the new plaza is that it will be overcrowded with statues, water fountains and other installations. The plan calls for the statue of King Sejong, currently located in Deoksu Palace, to be relocated to the front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. There is already a statue of Gen. Yi Sun-shin standing tall at the south end of the proposed plaza. Is there room for another massive statue? City Hall should reconsider some of the installations.
Seoul has a rich cultural and historical heritage. However, when we try to show everything, the message may become incommunicable. More often than not, less is more.