The Han River's Past and Present: Eight Bridges that Run Through History

Banpo Bridge and Jamsu Bridge are the first two-story bridges in Korea.
However, the two bridges did not open at the same time, and the Jamsu Bridge opened six years before the upper Banpo Bridge.
When it first opened, the name of the submarine bridge was 'Anbo Bridge'.
Why was it given this name? Because at the time of its construction, it was built to allow vehicles to quickly pass through, allowing the US ground forces stationed in Yongsan to move in case of emergency.
Although it is a submerged bridge, it has now become a cultural space representing Seoul for the citizens of Seoul.
In particular, the annual Car-Free Jamsu Bridge Ttukbuk Ttukbuk Festival is one of the representative cultural events that can be enjoyed along the Han River.
The Moonlight Rainbow Fountain, a representative attraction of Banpo Bridge, was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2008 as the world's longest bridge fountain, and in 2014, it was introduced as the world's most spectacular fountain by CNN in the United States.


If we recall the 'Anbo Bridge' that was there when the Banpo Bridge was first built, it can be said that it was a truly dramatic change.
This phase change between bridges and space is rooted in our country's historical background.
It is as if the flow of modern and contemporary Korean history is being absorbed into it.
In addition, the author examines the Han River and its bridges through various questions and stories.
At this time, it does not stop at looking into the structure and 'present' of the Han River bridge, but also looks back at the appearance of the Han River before development, the development process, and its background, and comprehensively covers the history and culture of our country, Seoul, the metropolitan area, and the Han River.
The story of the Han River and its bridges unfolds around eight bridges, including the Hangang Railroad Bridge, the first modern bridge built over the Han River; the Hangang Bridge, the first bridge built for pedestrians; the Yanghwa Bridge, the first bridge built entirely with Korean technology; and the Hannam Bridge, which connected Gangbuk and Gangnam and contributed to establishing the scope and identity of modern Seoul.
This is a dense volume that fully reflects the author's love and interest in bridges, having majored in civil engineering and bridges and consistently published related papers.

“Speaking of the Han River, isn’t it amazing?” This happened when I was on a business trip to Singapore.
These words, spoken to me by a local driver, became the beginning of this book.
The driver, who had visited Korea before, said he was impressed by the unusually large river flowing through the middle of the city.
The thing I remember most from my visit to Korea was the great Han River and the many bridges across it.
Yes, that's right.
As he said, the Han River is amazing and special.
The great river that runs through the center of Seoul, and the numerous bridges spanning it, I never noticed anything special about them because they were always there.
--- From the "Prologue"

Because of this original purpose of connecting the western part of Seoul and the western part of the metropolitan area, it is still convenient and faster to cross the Yanghwa Bridge when taking the Gyeongin Expressway to Seoul and wanting to cross the Han River.
In Giant's song, there is a lyric that says, "Whenever I ask my father where the taxi driver is, he always says Yanghwa Bridge."
It is said that Giant lived in Gangseo-gu during his school days, and if his father drove a taxi in the western part of Seoul, which was close to his house, it would be natural that he would often pick up passengers traveling between Seoul and Incheon, including Bucheon and Bupyeong.
You must have often crossed Yanghwa Bridge to use the Gyeongin Expressway.
As the song lyrics remind us of the spatial significance of Yangwha Bridge, I think this bridge has become an important part of the lives of people in Seoul and the western part of the metropolitan area.
--- 「1.
From "Yangwha Bridge"

Originally, the Seoul Metropolitan Government had planned to build Wonhyo Bridge as a 'steel plate girder bridge' due to its low construction cost and previous construction experience.
However, there was public criticism that 'the bridges on the Han River are focusing only on practicality and missing aesthetic importance' and a social demand that 'a beautiful bridge on the Han River should be built', and the Seoul Metropolitan Government accepted these demands and changed the plan to use a new structure and construction method.
The beautiful aesthetics of the Wonhyo Bridge, built in this way, are also very significant as a symbol of moving beyond the period when only the functional aspects of the previous Han River bridges were emphasized.
--- 「2.
From "Wonhyo Bridge"

As our country's economy developed and the volume of goods transported began to increase, and when the Gyeongbu Expressway was built, the volume of train transport also increased rapidly.
The first and second railway bridges were temporarily restored and left unused, but the superstructures of the bridges were replaced with trusses of a completely different shape and opened in 1969.
The trusses of the first and second railroad bridges that we can see on the Han River today were restored at this time.
The fourth bridge, built last to accommodate the increased traffic, opened in 1994, six years after the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
The year the 4th railroad bridge opened was a year of major events in the transportation and construction sectors. There were simultaneous strikes on the railroad and subway, the collapse of the Seongsu Bridge in October, and the establishment of the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation to build additional subway lines 5 to 8 in Seoul.
Looking at this, the Han River Bridge is a symbolic bridge on the Han River that has undergone changes along with every turbulent period in our society.
--- 「3.
From "Han River Bridge"

The Roman arch aqueduct was an innovative structure designed to solve the city's water supply problem.
The Romans built aqueducts to bring water from distant sources to the city, thus meeting the city's diverse water needs.
The arch aqueduct of Segovia, built in 80 BC, used arch technology that was difficult to imagine at the time.
Because of its sophistication and grandeur, it was also called the 'Devil's Bridge' because it was not built by people of the time.
In Roman structures, the arch structure applied to bricks is generally an upper arch structure in which the load is applied directly on the bricks forming the arch, but as seen above, the Han River Bridge is an under arch structure in which the vertical member connecting the arch and the deck acts as an intermediate link to transfer the load above the vehicle load.

--- 「4.
From "Han River Bridge"

The lower part of Banpo Bridge, Jamsu Bridge, was completed in 1976, six years before the upper part, Banpo Bridge (completed in 1982).
When it was first built, it was called 'Anbo Bridge' rather than 'Submersible Bridge'.
This is because it was originally built for military purposes.
After the Korean War, the US military units stationed in Yongsan planned and built a low bridge that could be crossed quickly by vehicles in place of the Han River Bridge during wartime.

--- 「5.
From "Banpo Bridge"

In fact, before the modern era, only the Gangbuk region, and even some areas within the four gates, were classified as part of the city wall, so the boundaries of Seoul as we think of them today were created not so long ago.
And the main player that promoted the development of Gangnam and created today's Seoul, encompassing Gangbuk and Gangnam, is the Hannam Bridge, which I will introduce now.
--- 「6.
From "Hannam Bridge"

South Korea's bridge construction technology has made remarkable progress over the past several decades.
After a period of initial dependence on foreign technology, we have now reached a level where we can freely design and construct cable-stayed and suspension bridges.
Domestic engineers have secured world-class technological prowess through complex structural analysis, advanced material development, and innovative construction methods.
This has been proven by the successful completion of large-scale bridge projects such as the Ulsan Bridge and Incheon Bridge.
--- 「8.
From "Olympic Bridge"

While writing the book, I often had questions.
I wondered if it was right for me, a non-bridge construction expert, to write a book like this. But then I realized.
This was a story that someone had to tell, and I felt that as a civil engineering major, I had to take on the role.
The bridges of the Han River connect Seoul's past and present, and carry our dreams for the future.
I hope this book will not simply provide information about bridges, but will also provide an opportunity to think about the development, safety, and future of our society.

--- From "Epilogue"