Healing a Metropolis

Yongsan Park covers the transformation of a 750-acre garrison into Korea’s first National Urban Park. A departure from the past, converting over 70 years of military use into a beacon of urban greenery and community integration. Unparalleled and spanning decades of involvement, the project spans from a winning international design competition in 2012, years of community engagement, discourse and multidisciplinary collaboration. With an emphasis on ‘Healing’, the result is a master plan for a legacy park envisioned to thrive for over a century.

The transition from a US Army base at one of the most central locations in the city into a substantial park is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Yongsan must become a resilient and sustainable park by harmonizing nature, history, and Korean ethos and culture. The project’s main objective is to return the land that could not be reached for more than 100 years to the people. The act of healing is a process that transforms the existing site through an awareness of its history into a world-class park that inspires illusions of nature, ecological restoration and a wide-ranging urban park culture. The park masterplan echos the diverse Korean landscape in the heart of urban Seoul and will create a park that is inviting for everyone to enjoy.