Dongdaemun Stadium

Dongdaemun Stadium

Korean name
Hangul 동대문운동장
Hanja 東大門運動場
Revised Romanization Dongdaemun undongjang
McCune–Reischauer Tongdaemun undongjang
Former names Kyungsung Stadium
Seoul Stadium
Location Euljiro 7(chil)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea
Coordinates 37°34′03″N 127°00′38″E / 37.56758°N 127.010595°E / 37.56758; 127.010595
Capacity 22,706
Construction
Broke ground 24 May 1925
Opened 15 October 1925[1]
Expanded 1962, 1966, 1968
Closed 2003
Demolished 2008
Tenants
1988 Olympic Football
Ilhwa Chunma (K-League) 1989–1995
LG Cheetahs (K-League) 1990–1995
Yukong Elephants (K-League) 1991–1995

The Dongdaemun Stadium, was a sports complex in Seoul, South Korea and included a multi-purpose stadium, a baseball park and other sports facilities. It was located near the Dongdaemun or Great East Gate and the surrounding Dongdaemun market and had many vendors selling athletics-related goods. It was demolished in 2008 to make way for the Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park.

History

Construction on the main athletics stadium and baseball field began on May 24, 1925 and was opened for use in October 15, 1925 as the Kyungsung Stadium. (Kyungsung means Seoul) The venue was the main center for sports events in the city, and, along with the Kirim Stadium in Pyongyang, was one of the two venues used in the Kyungsung-Pyongyang inter-city soccer tournament in the 1930s.

The stadium was the location for mass celebrations of the end of Japanese colonial rule, as almost 250,000 citizens gathered at the venue on August 15, 1945, to celebrate the liberation.[2]

Additional construction was undertaken in 1962 to modernize the two existing venues as well as create a swimming pool, volleyball courts and soft clay tennis courts. Floodlights were added to the baseball venue in 1966 and the athletics venue in 1968 to allow for nighttime sporting events.

Before demolition, the athletics stadium was used as a flea market where all types of both new and second hand goods were sold. It formed part of the massive Dongdaemun shopping district, which has been active for 57 years.

Facilities

Football

The main multi-purpose stadium remained the main center for sports events in Seoul until the Seoul Sports Complex was built for the 1988 Olympic Games. It was the home venue for the Korea Republic national football team from the 1950s to the late 1980s, though continued to be used into the 1990s until the last international match was played there, against Myanmar in 2000.

The 30,000-seat main stadium also hosted some football matches including Quarter-finals at the 1988 Summer Olympics and many matches of Korea Cup International Football Competition.[3]

The inaugural match of the K League, the first professional football league in South Korea, was held at the athletics venue on May 8, 1983. Ilhwa Chunma (currently Seongnam FC), LG Cheetahs (currently FC Seoul) and Yukong Elephants (currently Jeju United FC) were based at the stadium until 1995, but with the decentralization policy in K League, they relocated to another stadiums in 1996.

Others

The inaugural match of the Korean baseball league was held at Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium in 1982.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ 경성운동장 사용규정 (in Korean). The Dong-a Ilbo. 1925-10-17.
  2. ↑ Daum encyclopedia entry on Dongdaemun stadium
  3. ↑ 1988 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 202-3.

References

Coordinates: 37°34′03″N 127°00′38″E / 37.56758°N 127.010595°E / 37.56758; 127.010595

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