Originally, Hapjeong-dong was a part of Yeonhui-bang, a division of Seoul that encompassed approximately
Seodaemun-gu and the western part of
Mapo-gu. The meaning of Hapjeong-dong, written in
Hanja as
蛤井洞, was "clam well". Later the Hanja transcription of Hapjeong was changed to
合井.
After the
Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty of 1910, Hapjeong-dong was known as Hapjeon-ri in 1913 and Hapjeong-jeong in 1936; it was a part of Yeonhui-myeon, which extended from Seodaemun-gu to
Yeouido. In 1944, it became a part of the newly created Mapo-gu district and received its current name in 1946.[3]
Streets
Hapjeong-dong contains the following main streets, which also give their name to surrounding, smaller streets according to the new
address system in South Korea:
Donggyo-ro separates Hapjeong-dong from
Mangwon-dong;
Dongmak-ro;
Huiujeong-ro: the name of this street is the former name of
Mangwonjeong, a pavilion built by his brother near the
Han river;[4]
Poeun-ro: the name refers to the pen name of
Jeong Mong-ju, whose statue stands at one end of the street;
Seonji-gil;
Tojeong-ro;
Yanghwajin-gil: the name refers to Yanghwagin, a former port and ferry dock on the Han riverside;
Yanghwa-ro: leads to
Yanghwa Bridge, near the former site of the Yanghwajin ferry dock;
A few historical landmarks may be found in Hapjeong-dong:
Mangwonjeong was a pavilion built in 1424 by
Prince Hyoryeong, elder brother of
King Sejong, to oversee farming every spring and fall. Its first name, "Huiujeong" ("a pavilion meeting a delightful rain"), was given by King Sejong after seeing the field getting wet by rain during a visit. Later, Prince Wolsan, brother of
King Seongjong, inherited the pavilion and renamed it "Mangwongeong". The pavilion was damaged by a flood in 1925 and rebuilt in 1989. Nowadays it is accessible from Donggyo-ro 8an-gil and oversees the
Han river expressway.[4]
Yangwhajin was a port and ferry dock on the Han riverside, located near Jeoldu-san. It used to be an important entry point to Seoul.[5]
Jeoldu-san is a rocky promontory that oversees the Han river near the
Dangsan Railway Bridge, with a shrine and park dedicated to Christian martyrs.
"Mapo Information". The chart of legal dong assigned by administrative dong (행정동별 관할 법정동 일람표) (in Korean).
Mapo-gu Official website. Archived from
the original on 2007-11-05.