Dongdaemun Stadium

Dongdaemun Stadium
Former names	Gyeongseong Stadium Seoul Stadium
Location	Euljiro 7(chil)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea
Broke ground	1925
Opened	October 15, 1925
Expanded	1962, 1966, 1968
Closed	March 1, 2003
Capacity	22,706 Seats
Tenants
Ilhwa Chunma (K-League) 1989-1995 LG Cheetahs (K-League) 1990-1995 Yukong Kokkiri (K-League) 1991-1995

The Dongdaemun Stadium, was in Seoul, South Korea and included a multi-purpose athletics stadium, a baseball park and other sports facilities. It was located near the Dongdaemun or Great East Gate and the surrounding Dongdaemun market and had many vendors selling athletics-related goods. It was demolished in 2008 to make way for the Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park.

History

Construction on the main athletics stadium and baseball field began on May 26, 1925 and was opened for use in March 1926 as the Gyeongseong Stadium. The venue was the main center for sports events in the city, and, along with the Kirim Stadium in Pyongyang, was one of the two venues used in the Gyeongseong-Pyongyang inter-city soccer tournament in the 1930s.

The stadium was the location for mass celebrations of the end of Japanese colonial rule, as almost 250,000 citizens gathered at the venue on August 15, 1945, to celebrate the liberation. ^[1]

Additional construction was undertaken in 1962 to modernize the two existing venues as well as create a swimming pool, volleyball courts and soft clay tennis courts. Floodlights were added to the baseball venue in 1966 and the athletics venue in 1968 to allow for nighttime sporting events.

The main athletics stadium remained the main center for sports events in Seoul until the Jamsil Sports Complex was built for the 1988 Olympic Games. It was the home venue for the Korea Republic national football team from the 1950s to the late 1980s, though continued to be used into the 1990s until the last international match was played there, against Myanmar in 2000.

The 30,000-seat main stadium also hosted some football matches including Quarter-finals at the 1988 Summer Olympics and many matches of Korea Cup International Football Competition.^[2]

Before demolition, the athletics stadium was used as a flea market where all types of both new and second hand goods were sold. It formed part of the massive Dongdaemun shopping district, which has been active for 57 years.

The first ever game of the Korean baseball league was held at Dongdaemun Stadium in 1982.^{[citation needed]} The first round of the K-League, the first professional soccer league in South Korea, was held at the athletics venue on May 8, 1983.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Seoul World Cup Stadium
• Jamsil Olympic Stadium
• Mokdong Stadium
• Hyochang Stadium

Notes

1. ^ Daum encyclopedia entry on Dongdaemun stadium
2. ^ 1988 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. Part 1. pp. 202-3.

References

• Stadium of dreams in K-League : 동대문 운동장 (Korean)

External links

• Seoul Sports Facilities Management Center (Korean)
• Seoul Sports Facilities Management Center (English)
• Dongdaemun Stadium (Russian)
• World Stadiums

Coordinates: 37°34′03″N 127°00′38″E / 37.56758°N 127.010595°E / 37.56758; 127.010595