Overview

"The Cheonggye stream runs through the center of Seoul. Today a popular urban recreation area with clear water, promenades and leafy plants, the Cheonggyecheon was, until only eight years ago, a filthy rivulet under a busy freeway. In the years following the Japanese occupation and during the Korean War, part of the area around the stream was taken over by merchants who made use of the military war scrap, thus helping to lay the foundations for the country’s economic recovery. With the renaturalization of the stream, the neighborhood is now threatened by gentrification.