Seoul museum revives 1966 exhibition that unveiled capital's master development plan

The Seoul Museum of History will unveil a special showcase on Friday, marking the 60th anniversary of the city's inaugural urban master plan. The exhibition, running until November 8, revisits the 1966 public launch of Seoul's ground-breaking development blueprint.

In August and September 1966, roughly 800,000 residents viewed drawings and models of the city's future at what is now Seoul Plaza. At that time, Seoul's population had more than doubled in just over a decade, growing from 1.56 million in 1955 to 3.79 million. Simultaneously, a major municipal expansion extended the city's administrative area from 268 square kilometers to over 600 square kilometers.

Despite its administrative boundaries remaining around 600 to 605 square kilometers since then, Seoul's population has surged to nearly 9.4 million today. The concentration of jobs and public facilities in the city center, even as the population grew, prompted concerns about urban sprawl and the need for comprehensive long-term planning.