Japan's Colonial Legacy
Capital Hall
Japan colonized Korea from 1910 to 1945. To imprint Koreans that Korea is under Japan, Japan demolished the Central palace of Korea "Kyung Bok Gung" and build a Japanese capital hall. Not only that but also demolished symbolic places of Korea and built numerous Japanese building.
Annexed by Japan in 1910, Korea regained independence at the end of World War II, on Aug. 15, 1945. The buildings from that era are now almost 100 years old or older, provoking debates over whether to preserve the heritages or tear them down for redevelopment.
As the Capital hall is symbolic architecture, the Korean government decided to use the building as a museum, not as a governmental office in 1986. And In 1993, as public opinion strongly resisted the existence of Japan's colonial legacy, the government demolished the building
Seoul Metropolitan Library
Culture Station Seoul
However, other buildings from the Japanese colonial era still remain intact around the country. In Seoul, those buildings include the Seoul Metropolitan Library, the Seoul Metropolitan Council, and Culture Station Seoul.
Heritage sites from the colonial era are usually referred to as “dark heritage,” or “negative heritage.” Some experts, however, argue those terms are not appropriate because they emphasize the negative sides without reflecting on other stories about the buildings. It is also important to see how they were used after the colonial era.