In mid-March, I went to Washington for the first time since the pandemic. On one of the days, I went to the Renwick Gallery near the White House, and as I walked past the White House, I remembered that the large yellow letters saying “Black Lives Matter” nearby were going to be erased. After Donald Trump became president again, Republican lawmakers threatened to cut the city’s federal funding over the letters and the mayor decided to erase them.
When I got to the site, I felt saddened to see that they had already begun removing the letters. The letters arose from the largest, most widespread political demonstrations in US history in the summer of 2020. I wished they had remained to honor the memories of millions of people who participated in those demonstrations.
But Washington is not the only city where political change determines the heritage; sudden changes in direction affect other cities as well. And beyond politics, all cities change with the times, making heritage preservation difficult from the start. Seoul has a surprisingly interesting approach to this problem that can offer inspiration for other cities.
One of Seoul’s defining characteristics is change. Older buildings and some not-so-old buildings are quickly torn down and replaced with generic new buildings. Koreans and foreign residents alike lament the loss of historic character in the city.
Present-day Seoul has its roots in Hanyang, the city’s name during the Joseon era (1392-1910). Several important cultural heritage sites, including Changdeokgung and Jongmyo, which are registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, date from the Joseon era. The Seoul metropolitan area also includes Joseon royal tombs registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Gyeongbokgung and Sungnyemun, meanwhile, are national treasures, while many other cultural heritage sites are designated by the national government and Seoul. The Korea Heritage Service supports and manages all these sites because of the strong social consensus regarding their historical value.
Beginning in the 1980s, as the standard of living and education levels rose and democratization took hold, interest in preserving modern buildings and historic cityscapes grew. Authorities designated hanok-dense Bukchon a heritage site and preserved important 20th-century buildings, such as Seoul Station. Interest in restoring and recovering lost cultural heritage also increased, leading to the demolition of some remnants of the Japanese occupation, most notably the Japanese Governor-General Building that blocked the view of Gyeongbokgung.
Amid continued development pressure, the late 2000s saw a growing interest in exploring older areas of cities and in preservation. Walks in Seoul’s old neighborhoods became popular, especially among younger generations, which caused areas such as Ikseon-dong to become “hot places” of gentrification.
In the 2010s, the “rediscovery” of Seoul’s older neighborhoods influenced the city government to adopt urban regeneration policies. One of the most interesting is the “Seoul Future Heritage” program. Launched in 2013, the program aims to recognize and preserve not only buildings of historical significance, but also modern contemporary heritage based on shared memories. The program includes five categories of heritage: civic life, urban management, political history, industrial work and culture and art. Nominations include old restaurants and shops, cultural productions such as film and literature, food like seolleongtang, and Subway Line 1.
Experts, civic organizations and ordinary citizens can make nominations, and the Future Heritage Preservation Committee reviews them. Businesses must have been in operation for at least 40 years. Seoul Future Heritage sites currently number 499 and are not subject to strict preservation rules but receive support for minor repairs and promotional materials.
Sadly, some Seoul Future Heritage sites have disappeared amid development pressure. Since the program began in 2013, 25 restaurants have closed. The loss of “Seoul Future Heritage” sites is inevitable because market forces affect businesses. The program's idea was not to stop change through strict management but to increase interest in Seoul’s diverse modern and contemporary cultural heritage, including intangible heritage.
Two things other cities can learn from the Seoul Future Heritage program stand out. First is the importance of designating sites related to common memories of the city’s recent history, such as intangible heritage, businesses and cultural production. Second is the importance of raising interest in the diversity of modern and contemporary heritage in the hope of attracting attention and business to designated sites.
A Washington Future Heritage program designation of the Black Lives Matter yellow letters probably could not have saved them. It would, however, have added to the narrative of loss of an important place in the shared memory of so many citizens.
Robert J. Fouser
Robert J. Fouser, a former associate professor of Korean language education at Seoul National University, writes on Korea from Providence, Rhode Island. He can be reached at robertjfouser@gmail.com. The views expressed here are the writer’s own. — Ed.
