3. Gyeongui Line Park Design Process Gyeongui Line Park is on the site of one of the oldest railway lines in Korea. When it opened in 1906, it linked Seoul to Pyongyang and Sinuiju, which are now part of North Korea. Imperial Japan sought to control of Gyeongui Line as part of the infrastructure for military ues. After liberation from Japanese rule, it operated from Yongsan to Kaesong. At the end of the Korean War in 1953, the southern part of railway ended near Munsan. The Gyeongui line has symbolic meaning given its history of proving a connection between South Korea to North Korea. Restoring the disconnected line is one of issues frequently raised in summit talks between the two countries. Due to the high number of commuters on the line between Seoul and Munsan, the line was upgraded to an electrified double track railway. The line between Yongsan and Gajwa station will be transformed into a park by moving the railway underground.A decision to create the park entails much political negotiation. Upgrading Gyeongui Line Park started in 2005. In 2007, there was a call for a response to a plan transform the area of the surface of the Gyeongui Line into a park during discussions in Congress. Gyeongui Line Park was officially announced by the mayor in 2009. The master plan for Gyeongui Line Park was prepared in 2010 (Fig. 4).
Fig 5. Field Trip with Mayor of Seoul
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A mutual agreement between KORAIL and the city of Seoul was confirmed. It was designated as a park by law in 2011. The first stage(760m) along the whole length of 6.3 km was constructed in February of 2012.