In 2017, the ’Mapo Oil Deposit’ near the World Cup Park that had been off-limits for a long time was finally revealed to the citizens as the ’Oil Tank Culture Park.’ For 41 years, the Oil Depot was a first-class security facility to which the general public was denied access. In 1973, Korea suffered from its first oil crisis with a major setback in crude oil supply. Accordingly, the government constructed an oil depot near Maebongsan Mountain in 1978 in preparation for a state of emergency. Five tanks whose height was equivalent to a 5 story aparment building held 69.07 million liters of oil, the monthly supply for the Seoul citizens. Afterwards, the Seoul World Cup Staditum was constructed in 2002 for the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, and the oil depot located within 500m from the Seoul World Cup Stadium was classified as a hazardous facility. The oil stored in the tank was transferred, and the facility was thereby closed in December 2000.

In 2013, the Seoul Metropolitan Government hosted an idea contest for citizens and experts on utilizing the oil depot that had become a closed industrial facility. Based on the international design contest winner’s entry ’Petro: Reding the Story of the Site’, the design advisory committee and the citizen planning group of ’Exploration Team’ were organized to actively reflect the opinions o the citizens. At the end of 2015, the construction was initiated through the method of re-utilizing the resources while saving the original characteristics of the facility as much as possible. The oil depot was revived as a culture & ecology park and a complex of cultural space through the active contribution of numerous citizens.

During that period, the tanks that once sotred oil were chnaged into cultural tanks that create a unique culture every day instead of just keeping oil. The existing five tanks were transformed into open culture spaces, and the T6, that was created by using a dismantled tanks, became a communityspace for the citizens. The empty outdoor space was converted into a culture yard where children can run and play. The forest remaining within the site’s vicinity was preserved as much as possible, and various types of flowers and trees were newly planted to complete the park. In the trail that leads to Maebongsan Mountain, you can even com across wild rabbits and squirrels from time to time.

The space representing a period of industrialization, centrally of oil and construction, was reformed into an Ecolog & Culture park representing a space revolving around eco-friendliness, regeneration and culture. In the Oil Tank Culture Park, various cultural events are held including markets, exhibitions, performances and workshps. Citizens share an eco-friendly and creative way of life as the governace citizens, collaborative citizens and active citizens. The Oil Tank Culture Park will continue its development as a space for cultural production and as a base for the transition of the city togehter with the citizens.

Oil Tank Culture Park Seoul