Cheonggyecheon

청계천

A stream running east across the middle of the city. The work that lifted the road deck off it began in July 2003 and finished in September 2005, and the water has been walkable alongside ever since. Cheonggye Plaza, at the western end, is where most people start.

Language

Cheonggyecheon at sunrise: the stream running straight away from the camera, sunk below street level, with stepping stones across the water, walkways and street trees along the stone embankments on both sides, and office towers rising against the morning sky beyond.

Place information

Korean name: 청계천
Address: 1 Taepyeong-ro 1-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul (Cheonggye Plaza)
Nearest station: Gwanghwamun Station (광화문역, Line 5) (Exit 5), City Hall Station (시청역, Lines 1 and 2) (Exit 4)
Opening hours: open at all hours
Admission: Free
Length: 8.12 km · The total length; 5.84km of it is the restored stretch.
Opened: 2005 · The year the restoration was completed. Work ran from 1 July 2003 to 30 September 2005.
Operated by: Seoul Facilities Corporation

Google Maps Naver Map KakaoMap Official site

History

Before Seoul became the Joseon capital, Cheonggyecheon was a natural stream where water gathered in the low ground at the centre of the city. It ran mostly dry in spring and autumn, but even a little summer rain could cause flooding that inundated houses and washed away bridges. Under King Taejong, the stream bed was cleared and widened and embankments were built; its banks were later lined with stone and bridges rebuilt in stone. Gaecheon ("digging out the stream"), originally the name of the works, became a name for Cheonggyecheon, and King Sejong decided it would carry the city's household waste as an everyday waterway.

1406–1407
Work on the stream bed and embankments
December 1411
Establishment of the Gaecheon Dogam
15 January–15 February 1412
Stone embankment and bridge works
1441
Installation of the water gauge

Seoul Facilities Corporation, Cheonggyecheon — how the stream was made: King Taejong's works (1406–1412) and King Sejong's water gauge (1441) · Sep 25, 2026

Nearby

Deoksugung Palace

The one palace built for an evening visit — it stays open to 21:00 while the others close in the afternoon, and it sits directly on a subway exit in the middle of the business district.

National Museum of Korean Contemporary History

Across from Gwanghwamun Square, covering Korea since the ports opened in 1876. Where the Seoul Museum of History takes the city, this takes the country, so the two do not overlap. Wednesday and Saturday are the only days it runs to 21:00.

Seoul Museum of History

Next to Gyeonghuigung, laying out in order how Hanyang became today's Seoul — the right first-day stop for getting the shape of the city. It closes on Mondays, which is exactly when several of the palaces are open.

Gyeonghoeru Pavilion lit at night, mirrored whole in the still surface of the pond

Gyeongbokgung Palace

Best for a first palace visit in Seoul; allow time for the central halls and check the official schedule before adding a guard ceremony.

Stories about this place

Seoul in Two Days on Foot: Jongno’s Palaces and the City’s Southern Night View
A practical two-day Seoul itinerary for first-time visitors. Day one links the palaces and old lanes of Jongno, while day two crosses the southern city center from Deoksugung and Cheonggyecheon to Myeongdong and the night view from N Seoul Tower.
Nine Seoul Night Views Compared: Eungbongsan, Namsan, Seoul Sky and Naksan Park
Nine night views in Seoul compared on what you see, how you get up there and how crowded each one gets. Five are free and three charge; the two free viewpoints that face the city head-on, Eungbongsan and Naksan Park, are the ones you walk up to. Hours for the three paid sights and the DDP are included.

Share: X Facebook