In 1968, this was the most advanced building complex in Korea: apartments stacked over an electronics market, a covered third-floor walkway letting residents cross the entire complex without touching the street. Fact That walkway was rebuilt at a cost of over 110 billion won and completed in 2022. As of this writing, part of it is scheduled for demolition this month.
What it was
In the 1970s and 80s, Sewoon Sangga was Korea's main source for electronics components. People used to joke you could find enough parts to build a submarine if you looked hard enough. Radios, televisions, circuit boards, speakers — if it involved electricity, someone here could fix it, sell it, or build it from scratch. Fact Walk the electronics floors today and that expertise is still present: components and repair skills that are genuinely hard to find elsewhere in Seoul.
What is happening in 2026
Est. A 112-meter section of the elevated walkway near Sampoong Sangga is on the demolition schedule for July 2026 — but this date has already slipped multiple times over the past two years. The city's longer-term plan replaces much of the surrounding low-rise complex with parks and towers, some exceeding 200 meters, stretching from Jongmyo Shrine to Toegye-ro. A civic coalition formally objects to a high-rise proposal near Jongmyo, a UNESCO World Heritage site, citing potential impact on that status.
And yet — new makers keep arriving
Even in 2026, the city continues its annual open call for tenants at Sewoon Makers Cube, the startup and small-manufacturer space built during an earlier renewal project. New businesses move in. Part of the same complex is being torn down. That is not a contradiction to hide — it is the most accurate picture of a district mid-transition, where neither the old nor the new argument is finished.