Cheonggyecheon is an 10.9 km (6.8 mi) stream flowing west to east through downtown Seoul, and then meeting Jungnangcheon, which connects to the Han River and empties into the Yellow Sea. During the See more

In July 2003, then-Seoul mayor Lee Myung-bak, initiated a project to remove the elevated highway and restore the stream. It was a major undertaking since the highway had to be removed and years of neglect and development had left the stream nearly dry. … See more

Budgeted at 349 billion won, the final cost of the project was over 386 billion won (approximately US$281 million).
Some Korean environmental organizations have criticized its high costs and lack of ecological and historical authenticity, calling it purely … See more

• Cho, Myung-Rae (2010-01-01). "The politics of urban nature restoration: The case of Cheonggyecheon restoration in Seoul, Korea". International Development Planning Review. Liverpool, UK: Liverpool University Press. 32 (2): 145–165. doi:10.3828/idpr.2010.05 See more

The stream was named as Gaecheon ("open stream") after the first refurbishment project to construct a drainage system during the Joseon Dynasty. The work, which included dredging and bolstering the banks of the stream and building … See more

The stream was opened to the public in September 2005 and was lauded as a major success in urban renewal and beautification. However, there was considerable opposition from the previous mayoral administration of Goh Kun, which feared See more

• Rivers of Korea
• Daylighting, the process of revealing rivers which have previously been covered over as part of urban development See more