Key takeaways
The Gyeongui Line Forest Path is a linear park covering roughly 101,668 square meters, running 6.3 kilometers total, with a width of 10 to 60 meters. Fact The section near Hongik University Station in Yeonnam-dong is nicknamed "Yeontral Park," a play on its resemblance to New York's Central Park. Fact
What to look for on site
- The park's narrow, elongated structure, which preserves the original rail line's path
- The density of cafés and craft studios in the Yeonnam-dong section
- How the park's atmosphere shifts between sections near residential areas and sections near commercial ones
Original, site-only, restored, or recreated?
- Site only: the former location of the Gyeongui and Yongsan Line tracks — the actual rail infrastructure was removed once the line went underground. Fact
- New construction: today's park landscaping and facilities — designed to echo the railway's former path, but newly built.
It's inaccurate to say "the old rail line survived intact and became a park." Be clear: the rail infrastructure was demolished when the line went underground, and a new park was built on top of the site.