A turning point in Korea's urban modernization: The case of the Sewoon Sangga development.

摘要

This dissertation aims at exploring urban development projects in Korea in the late 1960s, which marked a turning point in Korea's history of urban modernization. It places particular emphasis on the role of the Sewoon Sangga development project in shaping such transition.;With the rapid changes in political and socioeconomic situation in the late 1960s, Korean government emphasized industrialization and modernization of the country. The "Modernization of the Fatherland" became the government's basic tenet during the period. As a result, urban concentration was intensified, causing a variety of problems. In response to the demands of society to accommodate this urban growth and to symbolize the nation's progress, Korean government promoted many large-scale urban projects that would showcase their success in the pursuit of modernization.;Sewoon Sangga, the first official redevelopment project in Korea, was initiated under these circumstantial contexts. This mega-structure was developed with the convergence of diverse factors; the uniqueness of Korea in the late 1960s, Seoul's idealist mayor and project initiator Kim, Hyun Ok, prominent architect, Kim, Soo Geun, and the influence of Western urbanism. Sewoon Sangga is significant because it attempted to provide a new urban life style and a new form of urban architecture in rapidly changing Korea. It acted as an important factor in projecting the transition of Korea's urban modernization.;This dissertation investigates the project commission and the design development process along with its realization and subsequent influences. It also attempts to clarify the role of architect Kim as an agent of foreign influences. An advocate of Western urbanism, he brought modernity and progressiveness to Sewoon Sangga.;Finally, the study discusses the historical significance of Sewoon Sangga, a creation of the times, which epitomized the idea of a modern industrial city and its utopian destiny that architects envisaged in total agreement with the military government's will to achieve modernization. As a supplement, it also analyzes the Yoido master plan in similar context.