‘Song Sang-hyeon Square’, Korea’s Largest Urban Square to Be Opened to Public
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The City of Busan has announced that the opening ceremony for the Song Sang-hyeon Square will be held on June 12, 2014, at 3 p.m. The square, which gets its name from a famous local hero from the 16th century, will be the largest in Korea. More than 500 people are expected to be in attendance for the event including Busan mayor Hur Nam-sik, members of the Busan National Assembly and local citizens.
To establish Busan’s symbolic pedestrian square and solve traffic congestion on Jungang-ro(road), the previous eight-lane road has been divided and now consists of four-lanes on one side of the square and seven on the other. The square is nearly 35,000㎡ (L=700m, B=45∼78m) in size and was constructed at a total cost of 185 billion won. The project started with land compensation in 1994, broke ground in March 2012, and was completed in June 2014.
Song Sang-hyeon Square consists of a Culture Madang, the Dynamic Busan Madang and a History Madang. “Madang” means courtyard in Korean.
As an open space for citizens, the Culture Madang has a sunken square, a lawn and café. To serve as a venue for celebrations, events and festivals, the Dynamic Busan Madang features a large lawn plaza, a stream and walking path. To provide visitors with a chance to learn about Busan’s rich history, the History Madang includes an old map of the city, which also doubles as a floor fountain, the Forest of History and the Song Sang-hyeon Memorial Square.
Green space covers 50 percent of Song Sang-hyeon Square and along with Busan Citizens Park, opened earlier last month, will create a new green network in the city.
