Beneath Seoul’s hovering skyline, the place the town’s stressed pulse seldom slows, the golden hush of autumn settles over a spot largely untouched by time or tendencies: Deoksu Palace’s storied Stone Wall Highway or Doldam-gil.
This 1.1-kilometer promenade, lovingly generally known as Doldam-gil, is greater than a historic pathway; it’s a dwelling image of romance, resilience and the fragile stability between Seoul’s previous and progress.
Operating alongside the outer wall of Deoksu Palace — one in every of Seoul’s 5 grand palaces from the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty — the Stone Wall Highway types a tranquil city haven, sandwiched between the palace’s aged masonry and canopies of ginkgo and maple bushes.
Not like the huge grandeur of Gyeongbok Palace or Changdeok Palace, Deoksu Palace stands aside — compact, approachable and steeped in distinctive historical past as the one palace to function the imperial residence through the Korean Empire period lasting from 1897 to 1910. A hanging mix of neoclassical columns, European-style gardens and conventional hanok buildings reveals King Gojong’s daring embrace of modernization.
Autumn foliage blankets the grounds of Deoksu Palace as Junghwajeon and Seokjojeon stand amid the bushes in Seoul, Nov. 5, 2019. Korea Instances picture by Park Hyung-ki
In the present day, every autumn, the palace’s stone partitions body a much-loved promenade as bushes set the street ablaze with hues of gold, carpeting the broad sidewalks in a quilt of fallen leaves. There, the bustle of Sejong-daero falls away, changed by the scuffs of footsteps and occasional laughter from mates, {couples} and photographers capturing the fleeting great thing about the season.
The street receives substantial customer visitors all year long, with figures peaking notably throughout weekends and the autumn foliage season. Yearly, thousands and thousands go to the broader Deoksu Palace space, with Doldam-gil itself serving as a significant vacationer draw.
This stretch is famously the nation’s first street to implement a “pedestrian-priority” road idea, changing a portion of Seoul’s visitors arteries right into a sanctuary for pedestrians, not automobiles. Visitors halts on weekends and through weekday lunch hours, making the street a spot for sluggish promenades, inviting guests to pause and watch autumn unfold.
Guests stroll round Deoksu Palace Doldam-gil, the beloved stone wall street in central Seoul, Nov. 7. Korea Instances picture by Lee Hae-rin
Alongside its magnificence, Doldam-gil is woven deep into Korean tradition.
The well-known city legend — “{Couples} who stroll the Deoksu Palace Stone Wall Highway will half methods” — traces its origins to the outdated Seoul Household Courtroom, as soon as situated close to the palace. Lovers, it was mentioned, would stroll down the trail collectively solely to half methods at its finish — a story immortalized within the 1966 track “Deoksugung Doldam-gil” by Nam Jin-song, which laments, “As soon as two walked this street collectively, however now I stroll alone within the rain.”
Korean pop legend Lee Moon-sae’s 1988 ballad “Gwanghwamun Sonata” evokes the wall’s steadfastness: “Whilst time passes, on Deoksu Palace Wall Highway, you’ll nonetheless see {couples} strolling collectively.” The street seems in quite a few Ok-pop songs, dramas and movies, typically marking a turning level in lovers’ interactions — typically the positioning of confessions, typically of breakups, fueling its popularity as Seoul’s most poetic walkway.
In the present day, younger Koreans cheekily defy the legend, posting pictures with captions like “Nonetheless collectively, 1,000 days after holding fingers alongside Deoksu Palace’s wall,” respiration new humor and affection into the outdated superstition.
But nervousness lingers alongside admiration. Lately, the town’s bold city improvement plans — aimed toward creating new visible corridors and greenways — led to proposals to partially take away or alter sections of the wall to widen sidewalks and enhance accessibility.
Proponents, together with some metropolis officers, have argued that the wall, which has already been dismantled, rebuilt and relocated at instances over the previous century, presents restricted “authentic cultural worth” in its present kind. Eradicating or relocating segments may “create a higher civic area for all,” they declare.
This plan, nonetheless, faces robust opposition from preservationists, cultural authorities and far of the general public. The Korea Heritage Service insists that the stone wall, even when not utterly authentic, continues to serve its historic perform — defining the boundary and defending the royal context of the palace. Heritage officers stress that these partitions usually are not mere buildings however integral facets of Seoul’s identification and historical past. They warn that when eliminated or altered, such heritage parts can’t be simply restored, and the character of the positioning could be irrevocably modified.
The controversy of Deoksu Palace Doldam-gil has obtained renewed consideration with ongoing disputes brewing between Seoul and nationwide cultural authorities over its authorized plans to permit high-rise redevelopment round Jongmyo Shrine, one in every of Korea’s most sacred UNESCO World Heritage websites.
Guests stroll round Deoksu Palace Doldam-gil, the beloved stone wall street in Seoul, Nov. 7. Korea Instances picture by Lee Hae-rin
The controversy facilities on the town’s choice to boost top limits within the Sewoon District 4 redevelopment zone, situated about 170 meters from the shrine. With a latest Supreme Courtroom ruling within the metropolis’s favor, restrictions that when capped constructing heights have been lifted, enabling buildings as tall as 145 meters to be constructed close by.
Cultural authorities have voiced grave considerations, warning that skyscrapers would compromise Jongmyo’s historic skyline and the continuity of its cultural panorama, that are essential to its UNESCO designation. Metropolis officers, in the meantime, defend the venture as an overdue revitalization effort for an underserved downtown space and preserve the town authorities is appearing with its rights following the Supreme Courtroom’s ruling, which acknowledged the legislation doesn’t obligate native governments to hunt central authorities or heritage company session when revising native ordinances affecting non-buffer zones. UNESCO has already despatched a letter expressing concern and urging the town to conduct influence research, whereas Korean leaders contest the stability between modernization and preservation.
Deoksu Palace Doldam, the beloved stone wall surrounding the royal palace in Seoul, Nov. 7 / Korea Instances picture by Lee Hae-rin
The simmering dispute has introduced renewed scrutiny to the town’s previous — and nonetheless controversial — plans to take away sections of the Deoksu Palace Stone Wall. To date, the venture to change Doldam-gil has been stalled by robust public criticism and the heritage authorities’ opposition. Social media platforms have erupted in heated protest, with residents vehemently defending the cherished Doldam-gil and sharing its vivid autumn splendor on-line, though no substantial demolition plans have proceeded.
“How can the Seoul mayor even consider demolishing one thing as stunning as Deoksu Palace Stone Wall Highway?” an internet person wrote, whereas one other wrote, “Oh Se-hoon ought to by no means meddle with the fantastic thing about Deoksu Palace Doldam-gil,” echoing a widespread demand for stewardship over Seoul’s few remaining historic arteries.
Guests stroll round Deoksu Palace Doldam-gil, the beloved stone wall street in Seoul, Nov. 7. Korea Instances picture by Lee Hae-rin
