23 days and counting.

A short history.

Once unencumbered by the Korean War, the Republic of Korea faced a new challenge; modernization. The Japanese occupation prior to the war, and the war itself, destroyed the existing infrastructure and hindered economic advancement. Therefore, after the armistice began in 1953, the country began a full fledged effort to reconstruct and modernize. Today, South Korea is rapidly advancing as a major economic influence on the world's stage, which provides an opportunity to showcase modern examples of effective infrastructure.

One shining example is the 청계천 (Cheonggyecheon) stream renovation which replaced a major arterial freeway with a green space. After the war, the stream was covered in cement to manage overpopulation; twenty years later, an elevated freeway was constructed above the then cement covered stream; thirty years later--in 2003--the city removed the freeway, artificially restored the stream, and created the green space which remains today.