One-way lane to be restored to two-way, two-lane road
Suncheon has begun demolition of an artificial waterfall lion statue installed at the foot of Jukdobong (101 meters above sea level) in Jogok-dong, and plans to convert the surrounding one-way road into a two-lane, two-way street.
The artificial waterfall was completed around October 2011, just before then-lawmaker Noh Kwan-gyu launched a bid for reelection to the National Assembly. The structure drew persistent criticism over 15 years for clashing with the surrounding landscape — including the Dongcheon stream and Jangdae Park — prompting the city to put the demolition work out to tender.
According to Suncheon on Monday, the city has launched a project to remove the roaring lion statue — from whose open mouth water cascades — at Jangdae Park in Jogok-dong. Once demolition is complete, the city will begin designing a plan to open the adjacent one-way road to two-way traffic.
The entire artificial waterfall will not be torn down. Only the lion's head portion from which water flows will be removed and reshaped into a natural rock-face design, while the lower retaining structure, which prevents rockslides, will remain in place.
The artificial waterfall at Jukdobong Jangdae Park was built 15 years ago at a cost of 840 million won ($620,000), forming an artificial rock face 24 meters wide and 20 meters tall, covering a total area of 480 square meters.
Since its completion in October 2011, the structure has had a turbulent history through successive mayoral administrations — Jo Chung-hun, Heo Seok and Noh Kwan-gyu — with each change in leadership bringing a different approach: demolition reviews, camouflage tarps, wisteria planting and the resumption of water flow.
The city said it decided to proceed with the renovation after consulting with a panel of experts and conducting a comprehensive review of the facility's usability and surrounding conditions.
Rather than demolishing the entire structure, the city has already issued a construction contract to reface only the upper lion-head portion — which clashes with the surrounding landscape — as a natural rock wall, while preserving the lower section to maintain its rockslide-prevention function.
After the lion statue is removed, the city plans to convert the one-way stretch from Jogok Bridge to the Jangdae Park intersection at Suncheon Bridge — 620 meters long and 8 meters wide — into a two-lane road open to two-way vehicle traffic.
Suncheon described the project as a "restoration," noting that the road is already designated as an urban planning road and had operated as a two-way street before the lion waterfall was installed 15 years ago.
"Unlike 15 years ago, apartment complexes such as e-Pyeonhansesang and Hanyang Sujain in Yongdang-dong have been built above Duksil village, and there have been many complaints from residents requesting two-way traffic to ease the bottleneck around Jogok Bridge," a city official said. "We plan to begin two-way road construction next year, and once the work is finished, we will also reorganize the nearby traffic signal system."
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