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| Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, center, tours the Champs-Elysees in Paris along with officials from the Paris city government, Oct. 22. Yonhap |
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has said he plans to create a national iconic street with green spaces and wider walkways, like the Champs-Elysees of Paris, along a 7-kilometer-long route from Gwanghwamun in central Seoul to the Han River.
The mayor announced the city development plan Saturday (French time) in Paris after touring the Champs-Elysees, one of the most famous streets in the world where a city-led green makeover project is currently under way.
Oh was visiting Paris as part of his ongoing 11-day trip to Europe.
Taking a cue from the makeover plan at the heart of Paris, Oh said he plans to build the 7-km route running from Gwanghwamun through Seoul Station and Yongsan to the Han River into a street symbolizing Seoul and its history and culture, similar to the Champs-Elysees.
Under the plan, the eight lanes along the route will be streamlined into four to make way for wider walkways, parks and other types of green spaces, according to city officials.
The project is part of the city's broader "green path" scheme aimed at connecting separate green spaces in Seoul, measuring a total of some 2,000 km by 2026.
Having refurbished the 1.5-km section between Gwanghwamun and Seoul Station last year, the city will work on the remaining 5.3-km section from Seoul Station through Yongsan to the Han River this year, the officials said.
"The Champs-Elysees and our envisioned national iconic street have a lot in common in terms of history and culture," Oh said. "A green makeover plan by a famed global tourist spot like the Champs-Elysees may greatly inspire Seoul for its plans to expand urban green spaces." (Yonhap)
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