Yeouido (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...

: 여의도, en, Yoi Island or Yeoui Island) is a large island (or

eyot An ait (, like ''eight'') or eyot () is a small island. It is especially used to refer to river islands found on the River Thames and its tributaries in England. Aits are typically formed by the deposit of sediment in the water, which accumu ...

) on the Han River in

Seoul, South Korea Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 o ...

. It is Seoul's main finance and investment banking district. Its 8.4 square kilometers are home to some 30,988 people. The island is located in the

Yeongdeungpo-gu Yeongdeungpo District () is an administrative district in southwest Seoul, South Korea. Although the origin of the name is uncertain, the first two syllables are thought to be from "''yeongdeung''" (靈登) or "divine ascent", a shamanic rite. T ...

district of Seoul, and largely corresponds to the precinct of

Yeoui-dong Yeoui-dong is a '' dong'' ( neighborhood) of Yeongdeungpo-gu in Seoul, South Korea. Before 1 July 1980 it was called Yeouido-dong. Attractions * National Assembly of South Korea * Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) * Korean Broadcasting Sys ...

. The island contains the National Assembly Building, where the

National Assembly of South Korea The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, often shortened to the National Assembly in domestic English-language media, is the unicameral national legislature of South Korea. Elections to the National Assembly are held every four years. T ...

meets,

Korea Financial Investment Association The Korea Financial Investment Association (KOFIA, Hangeul: 금융투자협회) is a non-profit, self-regulatory organization (SRO) in South Korea, founded under the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act. It was established on Febr ...

, the

large Large means of great size. Large may also refer to: Mathematics * Arbitrarily large, a phrase in mathematics * Large cardinal, a property of certain transfinite numbers * Large category, a category with a proper class of objects and morphisms ( ...

Yoido Full Gospel Church Yoido Full Gospel Church is a Pentecostal church affiliated with the Assemblies of God on Yeouido (Yoi Island) in Seoul, South Korea. With about 480,000 members, it is the largest Pentecostal Christian congregation in South Korea. Founded by Da ...

, the

63 Building The 63 Building ( ko, 63빌딩), officially called 63 SQUARE (formerly Hanwha 63 City), is a skyscraper on Yeouido island, overlooking the Han River (Korea), Han River in Seoul, South Korea. At 249 meters (817 ft) high, it was the tallest b ...

, and the headquarters of LG, Korean Broadcasting System, and the

Korea Exchange Korea Exchange (KRX) is the sole securities exchange operator in South Korea. It is headquartered in Busan, and has an office for cash markets and market oversight in Seoul. History The Korea Exchange was created through the integration of Ko ...

Center. Due mainly to its importance as a financial district and its central location, Yeouido is home to some of Seoul and South Korea's tallest skyscrapers, including

International Finance Center Seoul International Finance Center Seoul (서울국제금융센터), commonly known as IFC Seoul (아이 에프 시 서울), is a mixed-use integrated commercial development in Seoul, South Korea. It is located in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul ...

Parc1 Tower Parc 1 is a complex of buildings in Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea. It stands and contain 69 floors. Construction stopped in 2011 but resumed in early 2017. History Parc1 is a US$1.5-billion shopping/hotel/office complex realized by Skylan Prope ...

, the Federation of Korea Industries Tower, as well as the iconic

Etymology

The name of the island means "You can have it," i.e., "useless". This was because whenever the Han River flooded, only a small patch of high ground remained above water level.

History

Being a vacant spot convenient to the capital of Joseon, Yeouido was used as a national pasture for sheep and goats according to a 16th-century geographical record. Yeouido remained for the most part an uninhabited sandbar prior to the construction of Seoul's first airport in April 1924. The airport served both international, domestic, and military flights, and was also the site of a flight school. The airport was prone to flooding that made it unusable during the summer rainy season.

Gimpo International Airport Gimpo International Airport (), commonly known as Gimpo Airport , formerly rendered in English as Kimpo International Airport, is located in the far western end of Seoul, some west of the Central District of Seoul. Gimpo was the main interna ...

took over Yeouido's commercial flights in 1958, and

Seoul Air Base Seoul Air Base (sometimes K-16 Air Base, Seoul Airport or Seongnam Air Base) is located in Seongnam city near Seoul in South Korea. Runway 19 and 20 are equipped with an ILS. History Korea under Japanese rule constructed 여의도 비행장(Ye ...

took over its military functions in 1971. Starting in the late 1960s, major housing developments were erected on the island, many of which are still in place in 2020. The six-lane bridge connecting it to the mainland of Yeongdeungpo was built in 1970 as part of Han River development project led by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Park Jung-Hee Park Chung-hee (, ; 14 November 1917 – 26 October 1979) was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the dictator of South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979; ruling as an unelected military strongman from 1961 ...

, after which followed a period of rapid development. Formerly part of Goyang, Yeouido-dong was formed as a separate entity in 1971. In 1975 the new National Assembly Building opened on the western side of the island. In 1985 the

63 building The 63 Building ( ko, 63빌딩), officially called 63 SQUARE (formerly Hanwha 63 City), is a skyscraper on Yeouido island, overlooking the Han River (Korea), Han River in Seoul, South Korea. At 249 meters (817 ft) high, it was the tallest b ...

was completed and was the tallest and most well-known building in the country for many years.

Politics

Yeouido is the center of politics in South Korea. The western half of the island dominated by political organisations and their respective buildings. Most prominently, the National Assembly Building is located to the far west of the island. Construction of the building commenced in 1969 and was completed in 1975 and sits atop the site of the former

Yeouido airport Yeouido Airport was an international airport in Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea. It operated as an international airport from 1929 to 1958, and thereafter as a military base until 1971. History The Imperial Japanese Army constructed an airstrip on ...

. Prior to the opening of the National Assembly Building the seat of government was located at the General Government Building which was situated within the grounds of Gyeungbok Palace. Due to its national importance, the area surrounding the National Assembly Building and its adjoining buildings is home to a significant police presence. Despite this, the grounds are usually open to the public and connect to the Han River Park which surrounds the site on three sides. Most of the major South Korean political parties including the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

and the People Power Party maintain their headquarters in Yeouido, close to the National Assembly Building.

Economics

Yeouido is considered to be the financial center of Seoul, hosting most of the country's largest financial institutions including: Industrial Bank,

Kookmin Bank Kookmin Bank or KB Kookmin Bank () is among four of the largest banks ranked by asset value in South Korea, as of the end of March 2014. It is the largest among banks in Korea and the 60th largest in the world as of 2017. History The current KB ...

, Korea Stock Exchange and Federation of Korean Industries, Hana Bank, Shinhan Securities, NH Investment Securities, and Eugene Investment Securities. Most of these institutions are clustered on the eastern side of the island, opposite the political quarter on the western side.

Media

Given the island's political and economic importance, several major media companies have a presence in Yeouido. These include major newspapers such as

Kookmin Ilbo ''Kukmin Ilbo'' is a South Korean daily newspaper published by The Kukmin Ilbo in Seoul, South Korea. In South Korea, "Kukmin" means "nation people". It is headquartered in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officia ...

and the broadcaster KBS. However, despite previously having a presence on the island, many other companies including SBS and MBC later left Yeouido.

Religion

Yeouido is home to one of South Korea's largest churches, the Pentecostal

. The church was founded in 1958 and currently has over 480,000 members.

Public parks

Five parks are located in Yeouido. Notable among these are the Yeouido district of the Han River Public Park and Yeouido Park. Yeouido Park was formed in 1999 through the reclamation of a patch of land, known as Yeouido Square or May 16 Square, which had lain under

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

for 27 years and was used for various large public gatherings. In addition, a terminal for excursion

ferries A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...

stands on the Han River shore.

Unit of area

The "size of Yeouido" is often used by South Korean media as a means of comparison for measuring an unfamiliar area. For example, it may be said that city A in country Y is twice the size of Yeouido. Yeouido is a little under 1/10th of the size of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

(87.0 km2).

Festivals

*Cherry Blossom Festival - Every April, the Cherry Blossom Festival is held in the streets of Yeouido. *Seoul International Fireworks Festival - On Saturdays of October, the Seoul International Fireworks Festival is held at Hangang Park.

Tallest buildings

Under Construction

Transportation

Buses

There are four colour-coded bus lines that operate in Yeouido: *Yellow buses run a circular route on Yeouido only *Red buses run different routes all over Yeouido only *Green and Blue buses connect Yeouido to numerous other points in Seoul

Bridges

There are 3 bridges between Yeouido and Mapo: Mapo Bridge, Seogang Bridge, and Wonhyo Bridge.

Subway

Isolated for centuries, Yeouido is now tightly-connected to the Seoul transportation grid. Seoul Metropolitan Subway, Seoul Subway Seoul Subway Line 5, Line 5 and Seoul Subway Line 9, Line 9 intersect at Yeouido Station. Line 5 also stops at Yeouinaru Station. Line 9 also stops at Saetgang Station and National Assembly Station.

Gallery

File:MBC headquarter buld.jpg, The former MBC headquarter building File:Korea-Seoul-Yeouido-National Assembly Building-09.jpg, National Assembly Building File:Seoul Building63.jpg, Seoul Building63 File:Cherry Blossom Festival.png, Cherry Blossom Festival

References

External links

Yeouido-dong websiteYeouido : Seoul Official Tourism (English)Tour2Korea profile of the island
{{coord, 37, 31, 26, N, 126, 55, 36, E, region:KR_type:isle_source:kolossus-jawiki, display=title Yeouido, Neighbourhoods of Yeongdeungpo District Financial districts Islands of the Han River (Korea) Islands of Seoul