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@article{ART002804574},
author={Yum Bok Kyu},
title={The Tower of Babel of High Modernism in Korea: the Development of Cheongnyangni and the Fire Incidents in Daewang Corner},
journal={The Review of Korean History},
issn={1225-133X},
year={2021},
number={144},
pages={353-388}

TY - JOUR
AU - Yum Bok Kyu
TI - The Tower of Babel of High Modernism in Korea: the Development of Cheongnyangni and the Fire Incidents in Daewang Corner
JO - The Review of Korean History
PY - 2021
VL - null
IS - 144
PB - The Historical Society Of Korea
SP - 353
EP - 388
SN - 1225-133X
AB - In 1966, the Park Administration of South Korea appointed Kim Hyeon-ok, an ex-military officer as the mayor of Seoul and gave him the task of developing downtown Seoul. The new mayor promoted to construct the modern apartment buildings with lower-level stores with private capital in underdeveloped downtown districts or in the covered strips over a river. These modern buildings were to create a high-rise modern landscape and cover an outdated ugly mess of the capital city. One of the newly-built residential complexes was Daewang Corner in Cheongnyangni, one of the sub-centers in East Seoul. As a transportation hub, it featured notorious red-light districts since the 1950s. The brand new edifice was given a role as a screen hiding the embarrassing scenery of brothels. The new high-rise store-residential complex led to further development of Cheongnyangni but suffered three different fire incidents in 1972-75. Unfortunately, the brand-new modern building was not fit up with fire-fighting equipment and its proprietor repeatedly ignored the administrative orders for improving the situation. This blatant disregard for public safety and executive orders was possible due to the fact the building was a part of one major drive for modernizing Seoul. Mayor Kim was more than a mere administrator and the pioneer of high modernity who executed the will of the strong leader of President Park for transforming the space of the capital into a modern metropolis. However frequent actionable fires revealed that high modernism in the 1960s Korea stopped at a superficial plane while sacrificing the value of public safety.
KW - Daewang Corner;Cheongnyangni Red-Light District;store-apartment complex;high modernism;superficial modernization;fire safety
DO -
UR -
ER -

Yum Bok Kyu. (2021). The Tower of Babel of High Modernism in Korea: the Development of Cheongnyangni and the Fire Incidents in Daewang Corner. The Review of Korean History, 144, 353-388.

Yum Bok Kyu. 2021, "The Tower of Babel of High Modernism in Korea: the Development of Cheongnyangni and the Fire Incidents in Daewang Corner", The Review of Korean History, no.144, pp.353-388.

Yum Bok Kyu "The Tower of Babel of High Modernism in Korea: the Development of Cheongnyangni and the Fire Incidents in Daewang Corner" The Review of Korean History 144 pp.353-388 (2021) : 353.

Yum Bok Kyu. The Tower of Babel of High Modernism in Korea: the Development of Cheongnyangni and the Fire Incidents in Daewang Corner. 2021; 144 : 353-388.

Yum Bok Kyu. "The Tower of Babel of High Modernism in Korea: the Development of Cheongnyangni and the Fire Incidents in Daewang Corner" The Review of Korean History no.144(2021) : 353-388.

Yum Bok Kyu. The Tower of Babel of High Modernism in Korea: the Development of Cheongnyangni and the Fire Incidents in Daewang Corner. The Review of Korean History, 144, 353-388.

Yum Bok Kyu. The Tower of Babel of High Modernism in Korea: the Development of Cheongnyangni and the Fire Incidents in Daewang Corner. The Review of Korean History. 2021; 144 353-388.

Yum Bok Kyu. The Tower of Babel of High Modernism in Korea: the Development of Cheongnyangni and the Fire Incidents in Daewang Corner. 2021; 144 : 353-388.

Yum Bok Kyu. "The Tower of Babel of High Modernism in Korea: the Development of Cheongnyangni and the Fire Incidents in Daewang Corner" The Review of Korean History no.144(2021) : 353-388.