The Distance Between Residences and Cemeteries: Utopia, Dystopia, and Heterotopia in Contemporary Seoul
Seoul systematically removed all graveyards that once lay within the city and its surrounding areas, a phenomenon notably distinct from urban development patterns in other parts of the world. After the Korean War, refugees and migrants poured into the devastated capital. In this postwar environment,...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/7/816 |
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| author | Hoyoung Lee |
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| description | Seoul systematically removed all graveyards that once lay within the city and its surrounding areas, a phenomenon notably distinct from urban development patterns in other parts of the world. After the Korean War, refugees and migrants poured into the devastated capital. In this postwar environment, cemeteries—traditionally sites of mourning and death—transformed into spaces of survival for displaced populations. With the military demarcation line preventing their return home, refugees began to envision their lost hometowns as “absent places”: unattainable utopias, idealized lands where all beauty resides—the very origin and endpoint of life. In contrast, Seoul, where they were forced to settle, became a “dystopia,” stripped of sanctity. Over time, however, the next generation reinterpreted this dystopia, gradually transforming it into a heterotopia. As Seoul’s urban landscape expanded, this heterotopia evolved into a Christian paradise. The second generation, having never experienced the trauma of displacement, found the newly constructed city comfortable and secure. Reinforced concrete buildings and asphalt roads became symbolic of paradise. The development of Gangnam—famously captured in Psy’s global hit “Gangnam Style”—represents a belated cultural revolution among younger generations in modern South Korea and exemplifies the transformation into a concrete paradise. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-35301f45ebcd4b808f098be6587be1c9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-35301f45ebcd4b808f098be6587be1c92025-08-20T03:32:33ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442025-06-0116781610.3390/rel16070816The Distance Between Residences and Cemeteries: Utopia, Dystopia, and Heterotopia in Contemporary SeoulHoyoung Lee0Academic Center for K-Religion, Sogang University, Seoul 04107, Republic of KoreaSeoul systematically removed all graveyards that once lay within the city and its surrounding areas, a phenomenon notably distinct from urban development patterns in other parts of the world. After the Korean War, refugees and migrants poured into the devastated capital. In this postwar environment, cemeteries—traditionally sites of mourning and death—transformed into spaces of survival for displaced populations. With the military demarcation line preventing their return home, refugees began to envision their lost hometowns as “absent places”: unattainable utopias, idealized lands where all beauty resides—the very origin and endpoint of life. In contrast, Seoul, where they were forced to settle, became a “dystopia,” stripped of sanctity. Over time, however, the next generation reinterpreted this dystopia, gradually transforming it into a heterotopia. As Seoul’s urban landscape expanded, this heterotopia evolved into a Christian paradise. The second generation, having never experienced the trauma of displacement, found the newly constructed city comfortable and secure. Reinforced concrete buildings and asphalt roads became symbolic of paradise. The development of Gangnam—famously captured in Psy’s global hit “Gangnam Style”—represents a belated cultural revolution among younger generations in modern South Korea and exemplifies the transformation into a concrete paradise.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/7/816Seoulgraveyardscemeteriesdistancerefugeesmigrants |
| spellingShingle | Hoyoung Lee The Distance Between Residences and Cemeteries: Utopia, Dystopia, and Heterotopia in Contemporary Seoul Religions Seoul graveyards cemeteries distance refugees migrants |
| title | The Distance Between Residences and Cemeteries: Utopia, Dystopia, and Heterotopia in Contemporary Seoul |
| title_full | The Distance Between Residences and Cemeteries: Utopia, Dystopia, and Heterotopia in Contemporary Seoul |
| title_fullStr | The Distance Between Residences and Cemeteries: Utopia, Dystopia, and Heterotopia in Contemporary Seoul |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Distance Between Residences and Cemeteries: Utopia, Dystopia, and Heterotopia in Contemporary Seoul |
| title_short | The Distance Between Residences and Cemeteries: Utopia, Dystopia, and Heterotopia in Contemporary Seoul |
| title_sort | distance between residences and cemeteries utopia dystopia and heterotopia in contemporary seoul |
| topic | Seoul graveyards cemeteries distance refugees migrants |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/7/816 |
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