Jangchung Gymnasium

A world title made the dome national

On June 25, 1966, Kim Ki-soo beat Nino Benvenuti here to become Korea’s first world boxing champion. Benvenuti had beaten Kim at the 1960 Rome Olympics; six years later, Jangchung staged the rematch and the result reversed. The arena had opened only three years earlier

The building had opened on February 1, 1963 as a circular, domed multi-sports arena. Its central floor could be configured for basketball, volleyball and handball, with seating wrapped around the action rather than stretched along two sides. That geometry still gives Jangchung its character: even after later rebuilding, attention remains concentrated on one compact central floor

The calendar became a record of modern public life

Boxing was only one chapter. Jangchung hosted professional wrestling, amateur basketball, ssireum and other indoor competitions, and in 1988 it was used for judo and taekwondo during the Seoul Olympics. The same building also accommodated concerts, large ceremonies and presidential elections and inaugurations during the 1970s and 1980s

That unusually broad calendar matters more than a simple list of famous events. Korea’s first purpose-built indoor arena became a general public room at a time when few other spaces could hold thousands of people indoors. Sporting heroes, political ceremonies and entertainment all occupied the same bowl

The 2015 rebuild kept the circle

By 2012 the fifty-year-old structure needed major work. A renovation lasting two years and eight months expanded the building from one basement level to two and increased total floor area from about 8,385 to 11,429 square metres. It reopened in January 2015 with 4,507 seats, a new auxiliary arena and upgraded event, broadcast and audience facilities

The redesign kept the building visibly circular. From outside, Jangchung is a round arena capped by a dome roof 26.53 metres high; the 2015 work replaced the deteriorated roof with a new curved roof panel. Seoul linked that curve to fan and mask dances, but the form is easy to read without the metaphor: one continuous roof wraps the circular bowl. Inside, the seating continues to focus sightlines toward the central court. A direct underground passage was also built from Dongguk University Station

The arena is still doing its original job

Jangchung remains an active venue rather than a preserved sports monument. Professional volleyball occupies much of its winter identity, while the floor continues to switch between indoor sport, martial-arts events, concerts and other large gatherings

That continuity is the useful part of visiting. The building’s history makes more sense during an actual event, when the compact upper seating, movable lower stands and central floor show why the 1963 plan proved so adaptable. The station passage also carries displays of athletes associated with the arena, including wrestler Kim Il and boxer Kim Ki-soo

Before you go

Check the official event calendar before making a special trip; access to the main arena follows the match or performance schedule rather than fixed sightseeing hours. For a longer Jangchung visit, the gym sits beside Jangchungdan Park and close to Jangchung-dong Jokbal Street, so the arena can anchor a short walk through the district even when no event is running