Planning and construction of the post-liberation capital city of Seoul (1945–1950): a focus on planning and the removal of firebreaks

Abstract

The main focus of this article is on the changes that occurred to firebreaks planned in this context of continuity of colonial space after Seoul’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule. This study aims primarily to investigate the changes to or the persistence of Seoul’s spatial structures after liberation. Also examined is the process by which the municipal administrative authorities in Seoul separated from the legacy of Seoul’s colonial past through the dismantling of the remnants of the Japanese colonial period. The results of the study should provide a basis for understanding the prestige and magnitude of administrative competence in Seoul immediately after liberation. This article interprets the period through a direct comparison of Korea’s urban space during colonization and after liberation.