Gwanghwamun Square

Character

Excavated stone foundations from Joseon government offices sit beside lawns, fountains and the statues of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin at Gwanghwamun Square. The ground has carried state administration, automobile traffic and mass civic gatherings; the present square puts those layers back into one public space

The 2022 redesign shifted much of the plaza to the west side of Sejong-daero and more than doubled its former area. Archaeological remains from Yukjo Geori, the Street of Six Ministries, are exposed within the pedestrian landscape, while the long view north still terminates at Gwanghwamun Gate and Bugaksan. That combination gives the square unusual clarity: the old political axis remains visible while people occupy far more of it on foot

The experience

The square is long enough to change character as you move north. Around Admiral Yi, the space feels tied to the traffic and offices of central Seoul. Around King Sejong, seating, planting and water features soften the boulevard scale. Closer to Gwanghwamun Gate, archaeological traces and the palace frontage pull the eye toward the older capital

Its openness also explains the square's civic role. Large demonstrations, public commemorations, concerts and national celebrations have repeatedly used this stretch of central Seoul. On ordinary days the same ground works as a through-route and resting place between City Hall, Gyeongbokgung and the government district

History

When Hanyang became the Joseon capital in 1394, the avenue in front of Gyeongbokgung was lined with major government offices and became known as Yukjo Geori, the Street of Six Ministries. The road remained a symbolic axis of state power even as Seoul's institutions and street system changed around it

Modern traffic eventually dominated the corridor. In 2009, lanes in the center of Sejong-daero were removed to create the first modern Gwanghwamun Square. The plaza quickly became one of Seoul's principal civic stages. During the 2016–17 candlelight movement, enormous crowds filled Gwanghwamun and surrounding streets during demonstrations demanding President Park Geun-hye's removal

The next reconstruction changed the relationship between road and public space again. Reopened in August 2022, the square moved toward the west side of Sejong-daero, expanded substantially and added thousands of trees and plants. Excavations made parts of the old government-office district visible within the new landscape. A corridor once organized for ministries, then cars, now carries both historical remains and contemporary civic life

Before you go

Enter from Gwanghwamun Station for the middle of the square, or from Gyeongbokgung Station if you want to begin near the palace end. Give the archaeological displays a few minutes before treating the square as a route between attractions: they explain why this particular strip of road has remained politically important for more than six centuries