Cheonggyecheon

Cheonggyecheon
Cheonggyecheon in 2012
Location
Country	South Korea
Provinces	Seoul
Physical characteristics
Source	Suseongdong Valley in Inwangsan
• location	Ogin, Jongno, Seoul
Mouth	Jungnangcheon
• location	Yongdap, Seongdong, Seoul
Length	10.92 km (6.79 mi)[1]
Basin size	50.96 km2 (19.68 sq mi)[1]
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Seongbukcheon, Jeongneungcheon
Korean name
Hangul	청계천
Hanja	淸溪川
Revised Romanization	Cheonggyecheon
McCune–Reischauer	Ch'ŏnggyech'ŏn

Cheonggyecheon (Korean: 청계천, Korean pronunciation: [t͡ɕʰʌ̹ŋ.ɡje̞.t͡ɕʰʌ̹ːn]) is a 10.9-kilometre-long (6.8 mi) stream and public space in downtown Seoul, South Korea. A natural stream sourced from the Suseongdong Valley in Inwangsan, it was historically maintained as part of Seoul's early sewerage until the mid-20th century, when post-Korean War rapid economic development and deteriorating conditions prompted the filling of the stream with concrete and the construction of an elevated freeway, the Cheonggye Expressway, in its place. In 2003, the city government began an urban renewal project to disassemble the expressway and restore the stream, which was completed in 2005 at a cost of over ₩386 billion (approximately US$281 million).

The Cheonggyecheon restoration project initially attracted significant public criticism, but since its opening in 2005 it has become popular among residents and tourists.