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

The Seoul Museum of History will unveil a special exhibition on Friday, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the city's inaugural urban master plan. The showcase, set to run until November 8, revisits the 1966 public launch of Seoul's first comprehensive long-term development blueprint.

The exhibition, originally held at Seoul Plaza in August and September 1966, attracted roughly 800,000 residents who viewed drawings and models illustrating the city's future development. At the time, Seoul's population had more than doubled in just over a decade, rising from 1.56 million in 1955 to 3.79 million.

Simultaneously, substantial municipal expansion led to the city's administrative area growing from 268 square kilometers to over 600 square kilometers. Despite these geographical changes, the city's administrative boundaries have remained around 600 to 605 square kilometers since.

However, while jobs and public facilities remained concentrated in the city center, the growing population prompted concerns about urban sprawl.