From colonial gateway to complex cultural space, Cultural Station Seoul 284 - Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea
Seoul Station, transformed into Culture Station Seoul 284
From colonial gateway to complex cultural space, Cultural Station Seoul 284
Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea
Modeled after the Swiss Lucerne station, this magnificent brick building was once a colonial gateway. Japan tried to connect not only Manchuria but also Moscow and Berlin. The defeat made the Japanese ambition disappeared, but Seoul Station was still the center of transportation on the Korean Peninsula. As new history was built more than 10 years ago, the old Seoul history was reborn as a complex cultural space named “Culture Station Seoul 284”.
“Seoul Second Station”, the successor to Tokyo Station
Are there any Koreans who don't know Seoul Station? If you're an adult, you'll probably remember one of the memories of taking a train at the old Seoul Station in a red brick building. Now, the functions related to trains have been yielded to a new history and established as a complex cultural space, but the old Seoul Station, opened in 1925, has been the gateway to Seoul for nearly 80 years and is the representative railway station of Korea.
Old Seoul History
The designer of the old Seoul history, where the western arches with a magnificent dome are exotic, is known as Yasushi Sukamoto, a student of Tatsuno Kingo who designed Tokyo Station. At the time of construction, Seoul Station was an extra-large building with a total area of 6,631㎡ and was established as the "East 2nd Station," succeeding the "East 1st Station," Tokyo Station. After that, many parts were destroyed during the Korean War, but until the construction of the new Seoul Station in 2003, the old Seoul Station was the starting point and arrival point for numerous trains. Now, it is a complex cultural space called “Culture Station Seoul 284”, but it still remains as a memory of travel for many.
Seoul Station at the time of completion
However, Seoul Station was not simply built as a representative train station of Gyeongseong, the colony. In Japan, Seoul Station was planned as an 'international station' connecting Japan, Chosun and Manchuria. After the Japanese National Railways from Tokyo reached Shimonoseki, they changed to the Busan Line by connecting the deputy liaison line, and then boarded the train again to connect Seoul Station to Manchuria, Siberia, and even Moscow and Berlin. Accordingly, the entity that built Seoul Station was Nammanju Railway Co., Ltd. Called the abbreviation of “Mancheol,” the company was an imperialism for colonial management, just like the British East India Company. Like the UK, which railroaded across India to colonize colonies, Japan also adopted railroads as its central business for colonial management in Manchuria.
Culture Station Seoul 284 Sign
Imperial outpost connecting Japan, Manchuria, and Europe
This is because the Japanese imperialism built Seoul Station largely and splendidly because it was considered the outpost of the empire connecting Japan, Manchuria, and Europe.
Old Seoul History Central Hall
At first, it was attempted to build on a scale similar to that of Tokyo Station in Japan, but it was said that the damage caused by the Great Kanto Earthquake reduced the scale and the construction period increased. Nonetheless, Seoul Station boasted unparalleled feat as a gateway to the colony.
VIP room
On the first floor of the building, there were a central hall serving as a ticket office, a third-class waiting room mainly used by Koreans, a first- and second-class waiting room used by Japanese people, a waiting room for women, a VIP room, and a station room. The 3rd-class waiting room was used by both men and women, but the first and second-class passengers were able to distinguish between men and women, and women had to stay in the women's waiting room.
3rd Waiting Room
'Seoul Station Grill', the best western restaurant at the time, was located on the second floor. The place that appeared in the novel above was a collection of modern boys and modern girls.
Waiting Room
New Culture Station Seoul 284
It was in 2011 that the old Seoul Station was reborn as a complex cultural space called “Culture Station Seoul 284” after completing the original restoration project. “Culture Station Seoul” means a space where various cultural events are held centering on the exhibition, and 284 is derived from the historical number of Seoul Station. Most of the exhibitions are free, so any citizen can enjoy them.
Copper Plate for the 100th Anniversary of the Korean Railway
In front of the entrance with the sign “Culture Station Seoul 284”, there is a copper plate celebrating 100 years of Korean railroads. Railroad and train icons extending from north to south symbolize the role played by Seoul Station in the past. Across the street from Dongpan, you can see the old Daewoo Building, which appeared in the drama <Misaeng> and attracted attention.
The old Daewoo building that appeared in the drama <Misaeng>
When you open the massive front door, you will see a central hall composed of 12 pillars and domes. The stained glass on the ceiling is an image of Kang Gangsullae. In the spacious third-class waiting room on the right, installation art is being exhibited around a huge clockwork, and the Western-style fireplace and chandelier are still gorgeous in the VIP room used by the governor of Korea.
Stained glass on the ceiling of the main hall
The 2nd floor, where the Seoul Station Grill's large restaurant is located, is divided into several spaces to hold various exhibitions. The state-of-the-art exhibition seen in the 80-year-old modern cultural heritage gives a strange reverberation as if mixing time and space.
First and second-class waiting rooms
Because the bomb exploded at Seoul Station
Culture Station Seoul 284 leads to RTO. This place was originally a wooden circular staircase connecting the baggage stamp and the basement cargo hold. Baggage stamp refers to a place where passengers pick up their baggage from the departure station at the arrival station.
RTO performance hall entrance
After the liberation, however, the U.S. Army Transportation Corps used it and called it the RTO (Railroad Transportation Office), which is now used as a venue for inheriting its name. It is being used as a multi-purpose venue while demolishing the interior partitions and ceilings transformed by the U.S. military, exposing the walls and floors as it is to preserve the feeling of the ruins of the war.
RTO Performance Hall
In front of the RTO performance hall, there is a statue of a person wearing a hanbok scroll that does not match the high-tech complex cultural facilities. The left hand holds a fist with the size of a head, and the right hand has a grenade-shaped explosive. On September 2, 1919, during the Japanese colonial rule, he was an independent activist who threw a bomb at Seoul Station to kill the newly appointed Japanese governor, Saiko Makoto, in the wake of the 3.1 movement. It was still before the history of Seoul was built. Unfortunately, the bomb was missed, and doctor Kang Woo-gyu, who was caught during the escape, was executed at the Seodaemun Prison the following year. It should not be forgotten that the blood of independent activists is flowing in the background of the rebirth of Seoul Station 284 in Korea, which was built during the Japanese occupation.
Statue of Dr. Woo Kyu Kang
Travel information
Culture Station Seoul 284
Address: 1 Tongil-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
Contact: 02-3407-3500
※ The above information was created in January 2015, and may change later, so be sure to check it before you travel.
※ Information, such as text, photos, and videos used in this article, is copyrighted by the Korea Tourism Organization, and unauthorized use of the article is prohibited.