Seoul: A City as Art

In recent years good design has become an important part of Seoul's identity, as they city strives to be as beautiful as it is livable. Two decades ago, however, Seoul was not especially known for its architecture. Building modern infrastructure to accommodate a growing urban population had left little room for creativity, as 20-story cement apartment towers came to dominate the skyline.

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In a new English-language book, City as Art ― 100 Notable Works of Architecture in Seoul, Prof. Yim Suk-jae provides a look at man-made structures throughout the city, dating back to its origins. Yim starts out by exploring buildings like Kyoungbok Palace and the Jongmyo Shrine and moves forward to write about more recent architecture that copies western styles. He then writes about the reaction to this in the 1990s, as Korea develops its own brand of modern architecture, which strives to create buildings that are more in harmony with their surroundings. 

Seoul Time Lapse 2011 from Oh Choong Young (raygallery.org).

[You can see some of Seoul's natural and architectural beauty in this incredible time-lapse video shot in 2011.]

You can read more about the book in the Korea Herald or Seoul Selection bookstore.

Do you have a favorite building in Seoul? Let us know in the comments.