Aerial view of the area of Yeonghwa-dong. The site (before the construction of Project Re\Turning Gunsan) is located in the middle block. Image courtesy of ISON Architects
The Birth of the Hybrid City
Over the past decade, Gunsan has served as Korea’s stage for the boldest urban regeneration experiments. Many projects bear ‘first in the nation’ labels: PPP (Publc-Private Partnership) public building regeneration (GCC), DIT (Do It Together) vacant space regeneration (DIT Festa), privately led block-scale regeneration (Project Re\Turning Gunsan), SK E&S’s SME support programme (Local:Rise Gunsan), and Korean-style town management (Yeonghwa Town). All began here.
Why Gunsan? The answer lies in its hybrid DNA, embedded deep in the history of Gunsan. Before the port’s opening, the old downtown was a small military port of 511 people. In the late nineteenth century, as trade shifted from inland river routes to maritime international commerce, Gunsan rapidly became a hub for West Sea maritime trade. It was the only port capable of exporting rice from the Honam Plain – bordered by Geumgang River, Dongjingang River, and Mangyeonggang River – to overseas markets.
On the 1st of May, 1899, the city officially began its urban life with the opening of the port. An area of 572,000m2 in Yeonghwa-dong and Wolmyeong-do...
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Yoon Zoosun
Yoon Zoosun is a neighbourhood architect who seeks to expand the scope of architecture. He is interested in the regeneration of architecture and urban spaces, as well as in redefining the concept of architects. Since 2015, he has conducted experimental research in Gunsan, extending his work from observational studies to hands-on, practical exploration. Since 2018, he has organised the ‘Extra-Architectural Exploration seminar series’, seminars that focus on the ‘architect as community designer’ and since 2019, he has planned DIT (Do I t Together) workshops, exploring the ‘architect as builder’. He is currently leading the UDTT Lab at the department of architecture at Chungnam National University, an action-oriented urban architecture collective based in Chungcheongnam-do for better life of community. Yoon respects creative local space operators and works closely with them to improve urban environments of various scales. He has created notable precedents in fields such as community management companies linking public, private, and academic sectors, tactical urbanism, DIT village regeneration, PPP publ ic bui lding regenerat ion, and walkable city initiatives. His representative field studies include the regeneration of Yeonghwa Town in Gunsan, the Gunsan Community Hall (now GCC), and the DIT space regeneration series.
