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Yeouido ( Hangul: 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 accum ...
) 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 ...
. 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 district of Seoul, and largely corresponds to the precinct of Yeoui-dong. The island contains the National Assembly Building, where the National Assembly of South Korea meets, Korea Financial Investment Association, 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 ...
, the 63 Building, and the headquarters of LG, Korean Broadcasting System, and the Korea Exchange 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, Parc1 Tower, the Federation of Korea Industries Tower, as well as the iconic 63 Building.


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 took over Yeouido's commercial flights in 1958, and Seoul Air Base 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 ful ...
Park Jung-Hee, after which followed a period of rapid development. Formerly part of
Goyang Goyang (''Goyang-si''; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Capital Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Capital Area, with a populati ...
, 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 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 ...
. 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 *De ...
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 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
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 ...
. 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 () is a park in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, South Korea. The park, which runs northeast–southwest through the centre of the island, has a large open area which is popular with bicyclists and skateboarders, and bre ...
. Yeouido Park was formed in 1999 through the reclamation of a patch of land, known as Yeouido Square or
May 16 Events Pre-1600 * 946 – Emperor Suzaku abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Murakami who becomes the 62nd emperor of Japan. * 1204 – Baldwin IX, Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. * 13 ...
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 a ...
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 t ...
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 (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 The Mapo Bridge crosses the Han River in South Korea and connects the Mapo District and the Yeongdeungpo District in the city of Seoul. The bridge was completed in 1970. Until 1984, the bridge was called Seoul Bridge. Suicides The suicide rate ...
, Seogang Bridge, and Wonhyo Bridge.


Subway

Isolated for centuries, Yeouido is now tightly-connected to the Seoul transportation grid. Seoul Subway Line 5 and Line 9 intersect at
Yeouido Station Yeouido Station is a subway station on Line 5 and Line 9 of the Seoul Subway system. It is one of the stations that serve the eponymous island of Yeouido, one of Seoul's financial hubs. The large Yeouido Park is close to this station. A new su ...
. 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


See also

* Geography of South Korea *
Islands of Korea This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water A body of water or waterbody (often spelled water body) is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another plane ...
* Han River


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 Neighbourhoods of Yeongdeungpo District Financial districts Islands of the Han River (Korea) Islands of Seoul