Image Origin:http://seosomun.org/
HanSung(now Seoul)—capital of the country during Joseon Dynasty—was under the rule of Confucian philosophy for over 500 years; and was resistant to Catholicism. Seo-So-Mun is now a historical site where it once held executions for the Catholics. By the late Joseon Dynasty, 44 Catholic saints were martyred at Seo-So-Mun; and it is one of the places with the highest number of martyrdom in 2000 years of Catholic Church’s history. Currently it is located near Seoul Station, which is the central transportation hub of the capital, and the residents take advantage of the use as a neighborhood park. However, disconnect of the site to the environment gradually makes an obsolete architecture.
To revive the place, a competition for Historical Park with a Memorial for the Saints has been announced. A total of 79 proposals were submitted; and through a fair selection, 15 proposals were selected.
Interkerd Architects(http://interkerd.com)“EN-CITY_ENGRAVING the PARK” has been created to accommodate a variety of city activities, and it was selected as the winner among the 15 finalists. The layout of the park, size of the interior space, and the organic flow revealed the beautiful city configuration and received a comment as a superior proposal.
On August 16th, Pope Francis will visit South Korea. Also, the Pope has scheduled to visit Seo-So-Mun Historical Park before a beatification. During this time, the selected proposals will be on exhibition for the Pope as well as the citizens.
Key word: SeoSomun, Historical Park, Fortress Wall of Seoul, Martyr, Catholic
