Seoul Records Center Exhibition: A City’s Boarding Scroll

An exhibition introducing the journey of Seoul's transportation through archival materials. Showcasing over 120 records held by the Seoul Records Center and donated materials from designers involved in subway construction.

event.detail_info

Seoul Archives Exhibition <Riding Log of a City> : Analysis of Seoul Transportation Archive Exhibition and Foreigner's Perspective Review

Event Information Summary

  • Exhibition Title: Riding Log of a City
  • Period: October 23, 2025 ~ August 31, 2028
  • Venue: Seoul Archives, 2nd Floor, Exhibition Room 1
  • Theme: Three-dimensionally illuminates Seoul's transportation and urban development from the 1950s to 80s through public and civic records, donated materials from professional designers, and participatory programs.

Exhibition Structure and Key Highlights

  • Exhibition of records on the history of Seoul's urban transportation changes (1950s~1980s)
  • Over 120 public records + Citizen participation data + Donated materials from subway designer (Mr. Kim Young-soo)
  • Composed of 3 parts (City Drawn on a Plane / Beginning of a Three-Dimensional City / City Layered Upon Layer)
  • Space where citizens can directly participate in recording, such as 'Today's Riding Log'
  • Three-dimensional experience of Seoul's transportation changes and the times

Foreigner's Perspective Analysis

  • Attractive Points
    • Understanding Seoul's historical growth process and transportation system changes at a glance
    • Interactive experience through participation and recording
    • Storytelling-focused exhibition method (Increased understanding and immersion)
  • Disadvantages and Considerations
    • High possibility that most of the exhibition will be provided in Korean (Lack of English/multilingual explanations)
    • The location might be unfamiliar to visitors from outside Seoul and other visitors
    • Understanding the context may be limited if visiting without prior knowledge of Seoul's transportation

Practical Tips for Foreigners

  • Transportation: Route search via Naver/Kakao Map etc. recommended in advance (Check transfers at subway stations around Seoul Archives)
  • Language: Prepare translation apps like Papago/Google Translate, capture English guide information in advance
  • Payment: Check availability of card and mobile payments (Naver Pay/Kakao Pay, etc.)
  • Food: Identify locations of nearby restaurants, souvenir shops/simple eateries in advance
  • Experience Extension: After the visit, ride the Seoul subway yourself to compare past and present experiences

Foreigner Satisfaction

Evaluation Factor Score (out of 5) Description
Content Originality and Richness 4.5 Three-dimensional consideration of Seoul's growth and transportation system changes
Language Support 2.5 Lack of English/multilingual guidance expected
Accessibility 3.0 Visitors from outside Seoul need to locate the venue
Participation/Experientiality 4.0 Interactive elements such as citizen participation corners
Overall Rating (Average) 3.5 / 5

Exhibition Experience from a Blog Review

I visited the "Riding Log of a City" exhibition, where you can see the history of Seoul's transportation changes at a glance.
I personally verified Seoul's changes and urban growth story from the 1950s to 80s through various records and materials.

Exhibition view: Past Seoul transportation scenery and citizens listening to explanations
  • 'From Flat to Three-Dimensional': The process of Seoul transforming from a flatland to a multi-layered city is fully realized in the exhibition.
  • The corner where you write your own riding log was a special experience of 'expanding Seoul's history into my own record'.
Visitor participation corner: A space to directly record one's own transportation experiences

The only downside is that understanding would greatly improve if the English guides were more comprehensive! However, if you want to experience Seoul's urban history in a special way, I highly recommend it.

References

Location

Google Map
Naver Map
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Detailed Information

Hanga Period:
10/23/2025 ~ 8/31/2028

Event Venue:
Seoul Records Center, 2nd Floor, Exhibition Room 1

Tag:
Seoul Records Center City History Transportation Exhibition Seoul Development Participation Experience 3D Exhibition