Dongcheon Stream, a waterway cutting through downtown Busan once so foul-smelling that locals dubbed it "Ddongcheon" (excrement stream), is set for a rebirth as a core axis linking ecology, culture and industry. The Busan Metropolitan Government has launched its "Return of a Century" project, introducing a new approach to water quality improvement using underground freshwater.
The city held a policy briefing titled "Return of a Century: Dongcheon Project" at the Busan International Finance Center on Thursday, unveiling its plan for the stream's restoration and regeneration. The project's centerpiece is a fundamental shift away from the existing seawater intake method to underground freshwater for improving the stream's water quality.
The city determined that groundwater discovered during construction of the Mandeok-Centum deep underground roadway could serve as maintenance water, enabling a stable supply. The Sasang-Haeundae section passing through the Dongcheon area alone can yield approximately 35,000 tons of groundwater per day. Adding the future Busan Express Railway (BuTX) project would meet the volume needed to create a waterfront space, officials said. "This is sufficient to secure approximately 39,000 tons of maintenance water per day — the minimum required to develop Dongcheon into a waterfront space on par with Seoul's Cheonggyecheon Stream," a city official said.
Based on this plan, the city aims to transform Dongcheon into a "River of Life," "River of Culture" and "River of Prosperity." The strategy involves restoring the waterway and building an ecological corridor from upstream to downstream, while expanding urban rest and cultural spaces and creating an economic belt connecting the Seomyeon commercial district and the Munhyeon Financial Complex.
The restructuring centers on six key zones. Busan Citizens Park will serve as the main hub for groundwater supply. The Seomyeon-Bujeoncheon section will have its covered roadway removed to restore an urban waterfront space. The Gwangmu Bridge area will become a nighttime landscape and cultural rest zone, while the Munhyeon financial district will be converted into a 24-hour waterfront cultural space. A sluice gate will be installed in the lower reaches of Dongcheon to manage water levels and quality. Seongjigok Reservoir will be reborn as a children's ecology education platform linked to the municipal children's zoo, which is set to reopen.
The city targets phased completion by 2032 through coordination with the Sasang-Haeundae deep underground roadway and BuTX projects. Until then, the existing seawater intake method will continue in parallel, with the ongoing "Cultural Dongcheon" project laying the groundwork in advance.
The project is assessed as a strategy to restructure the urban fabric itself, going beyond simple stream maintenance. By combining ecological, tourism and industrial functions around Dongcheon, the city expects to boost downtown competitiveness while connecting the Seomyeon commercial district, North Port and the Munhyeon Financial Complex along a single axis.
"Dongcheon is a symbolic space that drove Korea's industrial and economic growth," Busan Mayor Park Heong-jun said. "We will restore it into a space where ecology and the city coexist, carrying the glory of the past forward as an asset for the future."
