Was Seoul Subway Line 2 a Gift Left by First Lady Yuk Young-soo?
Creatrip Team
6 months ago
Seoul’s Subway Line 2, now a vital circular route connecting major districts and 14 transfer lines, was not originally planned as a loop. Early plans showed Line 2 with end terminals running from Gimpo Airport through Yeouido to Gangnam. The 1974 assassination attempt that fatally wounded First Lady Yuk Young-soo led to the resignation of Mayor Yang Taek-sik. His successor, Mayor Koo Ja-choon, promoted a “three-core city” plan and quickly redrew subway lines to link the old downtown, Yeongdeungpo and Gangnam — creating the circular Line 2 we know today. Construction began in 1978 and the full line opened in 1984. Some argue the tragic events and subsequent political change indirectly produced the looped Line 2, a lasting “gift” that reshaped Seoul’s transit network.
