From Early Baekje Fortresses to the (Almost) Tallest Building in the World: Sight-Hopping Through Jamsil-dong

Written by Gitte Zschoch

Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

The massive ginkgo tree stands alone on this wide, empty plain of withered, bleached grass. Its knotty, grizzled bark, a rich black, stands in stark contrast to its bright yellow leaves. Much of this yellow has already fallen to the ground, lightly weaving a soft carpet. An iron fence surrounds the tree—it must have special protection status. A signboard duly informs the visitor that the tree is 530 years old.

It is on the earthen walls of the Mongchon Fortress that this old ginkgo has seen the years, decades and centuries fly by, bringing many a change to the area. The fortress stands proudly at the heart of Olympic Park in the Bangi-dong neighborhood of southeastern Seoul. The tree's 530 years of existence are just an indicator that the history of this park dates back not only hundreds but thousands of years—not just the 23 years that have passed since the construction of the Olympic compounds was completed in 1986 in due time for the 10th Asian Games.

Village of Dreams

The fortification belongs among the most important archaeological sites in Korea, for it is here that the capital of the early Baekje kingdom (18 BC—AD 475) was located. The site was excavated between 1983 and 1989, but not much time was invested in careful aerial surveying and extensive excavations to find out more about this important capital. It is said that it stretched out through the nearby Pungnami Fortress, a little farther north, and all the way to Achasan Fortress on the other side of the Hangang River. The story holds that King Onjo came from a tribe in what is now Manchuria during the first century BC, finally settling at the current location of Mongchon Fortress. Back then, the settlement was called Wirye Fortress—“Wiryeseong” being today’s name for the ginkgo-lined road bordering the south of Olympic Park—and remained the capital of Baekje until the larger kingdom to the north, Goguryeo, invaded in 475.

The fortress, a “village of dreams” according to the Chinese characters that make up its name, is mainly built of earthen walls that reach up to about 25 meters. They served as protection against invaders, and their strength and massiveness indicate the importance of this once flourishing capital. The easy two-kilometer walk along the top of the walls takes you around the whole compound, passing old pit dwellings where earthenware, pottery and iron weaponry were found, as well as the Mongchon Museum, where more artifacts of the Baekje period are on display. The views are splendid. From behind the gymnasiums and tennis courts in the south, the rolling hills of Namhan Fortress send their greetings, and from the other three directions gray apartment complexes in all possible variations of the standard cuboid type say hello. They remind the visitor that despite a 530-year-old tree and a preservation site dating back 2,000 years, the flow of time has reached the modern era.

Disturbing Videos and Musical Fountains

Olympic Park is an icon of this contemporary Korea, a symbol that reminds citizens of the economic and political development process the country recently went through. To this day, most of the facilities are still intact—some serving as sports centers, others hosting conferences, concerts and other cultural events. On weekends and holidays, lovers, stroller pushers, walkers, parents with children, bike riders, photographers, inline skaters, badminton players, dog owners and joggers can be spotted here. Recently, development of this park as an entertainment area has taken another step with the addition of restaurants, including a steak house, as well as the ubiquitous convenient stores and coffee shops opening up near the main entrance, next to Peace Square and in the area near the east gate.

One way to begin exploration of Olympic Park is by coming in at its easternmost entrance, East Gate 1, and making your way to the main entrance in the southwest. After your walk up the fortress, check out the more than 200 sculptures of the sculpture park spread out throughout the compound, or visit the Soma Museum of Art with its changing exhibitions, located between South Gates 3 and 4. The fun and sometimes disturbing video installations of the world-famous Korean artist Paik Nam-June are always on display here. There is a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf next to the museum, with a nice view on the Mongchon moat and its illuminated Music Fountain. The fountain performs choreography perfectly matched to each of the 140 musical arrangements composed for this spectacle.

From Mulberries to Mass Migration

The area west of Olympic Park, today the neighborhood of Jamsil-dong, was famous for its plantations of mulberry trees during the Joseon Dynasty (1392—1910). Until the early 1970s, this area actually still consisted of two islands in the Hangang: Jamsil-do and Buri-do. With their sandy and moist ground, they provided good conditions for the growing of mulberry trees, the sole diet of silkworms. Under the supervision of King Sejong himself, one of the four later centers of silk production was established here. The silkworms spun the precious silk the court would use for its colorful garments, cushions and even military uniforms. At no time did many people inhabit those islands, which were sometimes swamped by floods, and after the decline of the silk industry, there were only three villages with fewer than 200 houses on these islands. As economic development swept the country after the end of the Korean War due to the iron hand of the Park Chung-hee administration, the redevelopment of this area was initiated and the reclaiming of the land began. Quickly, many five-story apartment complexes moved in, and the population of the area rose in a short time from 1,000 people to 80,000 people.

As can be seen, the area has seen many changes, but now only traces of these epochs are left. The mulberry trees have long since been cleared out, and the only reminder of the Songpa River that hugged the small islets of Jamsil-do and Buri-do in the south is Seokchon Lake, nestled into an urban landscape and surrounded by a narrow pathway and a small strip of bushes, encircled in turn by a cluster of four- to eight-lane roads. One of these highways bisects the lake into eastern and western halves. The western lake features Magic Island, which belongs to the famous entertainment park Lotte World. At night, the fairytale castles and risky rides are colorfully illuminated and make for a perfect urban sightseeing spot. Just a short walk to the south, the Seokchon-dong tumuli take the visitor back in time once again. These tombs from the Baekje kingdom are not typical earthen mounds, but three-tiered piles of great stones, a style known from the kingdom of Goguryeo.

An Unstoppable Leviathan of Amusement

Lotte World is more than just an amusement park. It was also the first shopping mall built in Korea. Construction began in 1985 and continued through 1989. Now it is a huge, completely self-sustained entertainment complex. Everything a modern human being needs to feel amused can be found within its walls. Shopping centers, food marts, an ice rink, a swimming pool, a bowling alley, a sports center, a hotel, a large cinema, excellent food courts and even a Korean folk museum are just a few of the featured attractions. One can literally spend days in there, as some Japanese tourists are reported to do. With a short pop into the folk museum in order to learn about the making of kimchi, there is no need to feel guilty about not doing any sightseeing. Development of the area did not stop in 1989 with Lotte World, however. Just as Seokchon Lake has eastern and western halves, Lotte World I, as it will soon have to be called, is to acquire a corresponding other half: Lotte World II. This Supertower, the new landmark of Lotte and Seoul, is aiming for 123 stories and a height of 555 meters. By the time of its completion, it will be the second tallest building in the world. The 25 meter height of the Baekje fortress will, in comparison, look flat and shallow. Maybe the ginkgo tree will know, keeping an eye on the developments to come within the next years, decades and perhaps even centuries.

Getting There & Things to Do

It’s hard to cover the whole area on foot. One good way to see Olympic Park and Mongchon Fortress would be to rent bicycles. However, only tandems (for two or four people) are available at the park. Considering that winter is approaching, this might not be a warm idea anyway. The rental office is located between the Velodrome and Woori Financial Art Hall. There is also a small train, the Hodori Tour Train, that brings you from one end of the compound to the other. The ticket office is near Peace Square or South Gate 4. Return rides are 1,800 won.

After a tour of the park, hop into the Mongchon-toseong subway stop at the main entrance near the National Flags Plaza, Peace Square and World Peace Gate, and take Line 8 for one stop to Jamsil. From here, leave through Exit 2 or 3 to stroll along the shores of Lake Seokchon. Lotte World is right here, too, as are many food courts within the shopping centers, in case hunger hits.

The Seokchon-dong Tumuli Park is short walk from here to the south. The entrance to the park is on its southeastern side. It can also be approached by taking Exit 6 of Seokchon Station, Line 8.

Olympic Park www.kspo.or.kr/english/park/index.asp. Open daily. Free. (02) 410-1114

Mongchon Museum Nov—Feb, 10am—8pm. Weekends and holidays, 10am—6pm. Closed on Mondays. (02) 424-5138

Soma Museum of Art www.somamuseum.org. Tue—Sun, 10am—6pm. 3,000 won. (02) 425-1077

Lotte World www.lotteworld.com/Global_eng/Main.asp. Open daily, 9:30am—11pm. (02) 411-2000. Tickets starting at 21,000 won. Daily pass 35,000 won.

Seokchon-dong Tumuli Park 9am—5pm. Free. (02) 410-3662

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