From rice paddies to skyscrapers: A new book traces Gangnam's transformation

A new publication offers a glimpse of Gangnam as it once was — a landscape of rice paddies and farmland — before it became the forest of skyscrapers it is today.

The Seoul Institute of History announced the release of Volume 10 of its Seoul Historical Field Guide series, titled "The History and People of Gangnam." The book traces the transformation of seven areas south of the Han River, examining how today's Gangnam came to be built as a new town.

The institute has run an annual field program since 2004, bringing together historians and citizens to walk through Seoul's historic neighborhoods and document what they find, publishing the results in the ongoing Seoul Historical Field Guide series. Last year, it released Volume 9, "The History and People of Gangbuk," which covered major neighborhoods north of the Han River.

Volume 10 is based on sites explored during last year's Seoul History and Culture Field Program. The book covers seven areas: Guro-dong and Gasan-dong, home to the original Korea Export Industrial Complex; Yeongdeungpo and Mullae-dong, tracing Seoul's manufacturing history; Daebang-dong, a strategic hub in the defense of the greater Seoul area; Mokdong and its ties to the 1988 Seoul Olympics and new-town development; Banpo-dong and Jamwon-dong, where large apartment complexes defined the Gangnam development era; Nonhyeon-dong and Yeoksam-dong, the birthplace of Gangnam's information technology industry centered on Teheran-ro; and Yangjae-dong, where the legend of Maljukgeori unfolds along ancient roads.

The book pays particular attention to Gangnam's identity as an "old new town." Unlike areas north of the Han River, where older buildings and alleyways have survived in relative abundance, Gangnam was rapidly developed by replacing farmland with new roads and urban grids. The field surveys therefore focused not on finding ancient relics but on reading how the modern city took shape and evolved over time.

In Guro-dong and Gasan-dong, the book examines the history of the Guro industrial complex, once a symbol of South Korea's economic development. At its peak, the complex accounted for 10 percent of the country's total exports before reinventing itself as the industrial structure shifted.

In Mokdong, the book looks at how large-scale urban development reshaped people's lives. It traces how the area was transformed in the 1980s into a new town complete with residential zones, commercial and business facilities, green spaces and urban infrastructure. It also addresses the conflicts over demolition and compensation that displaced original residents during that process.

In Banpo-dong and Jamwon-dong, the book explores how large apartment complexes gave rise to a new residential district. Once farmland and sandy riverbanks, the area began to be developed in the late 1960s. The construction of apartment complexes, the relocation of schools and shops, and the building of the Gangnam Express Bus Terminal gradually turned it into a hub of residential life and transportation.

In Nonhyeon-dong and Yeoksam-dong, the book focuses on how cutting-edge venture companies and information technology firms clustered along Teheran-ro. It describes how the planned roads and urban spaces built from the 1970s onward laid the groundwork for what became Gangnam's commercial and business district today.

Volume 10 is available free of charge as an e-book through the Seoul Institute of History's website and will also be distributed to major public libraries across Seoul. Residents who wish to purchase a print copy may do so at Seoul Book Store on the first below-ground floor of Seoul City Hall.

"Gangnam is a familiar place to us, but just half a century ago it was still dotted with rice paddies and fields," said Lee Sang-bae, director of the Seoul Institute of History. "I hope this field guide gives citizens a fresh perspective on the history embedded in the streets and buildings they pass through every day, and a chance to reflect together on the memories of a rapidly changing city."