Bumingwan

Bumingwan
부민관
The building (2009)
General information
Type	Multi-purpose
Address	125 Sejong-daero, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea
Coordinates	37.5676°N 126.9767°E / 37.5676; 126.9767
Construction started	July 30, 1934
Completed	December 10, 1935 (1935-12-10)
Owner	Seoul Metropolitan Government

Bumingwan (Korean: 부민관; Hanja: 府民館; MR: Pumin'gwan; Modified Hepburn: Fuminkan) is a historic building in Seoul, South Korea. It currently serves as a building for the Seoul Metropolitan Council. It was designated a Registered Cultural Heritage in 2002.

History

The building was originally designed to be a multi-purpose entertainment building, with spaces for plays, movies, lectures, and meetings. Construction began on July 30, 1934, and ended on December 10, 1935. It had three floors above ground, and one underground. It had a large auditorium that could seat 1,800, a medium auditorium with capacity for 400, and a small one for 160. It had a large variety of rooms beyond that, including space for a restaurant, a barbershop, and for hosting guests. It was rare for the time for its modern amenities, which included air conditioning and heating.

The facilities in the building were available to rent for various purposes. Accordingly, events like weddings, memorial ceremonies, and celebrations were held at the building. It was used as a theater by many significant Korean theater companies during the colonial period. Some historic Korean plays were written with the stage of Bumingwan in mind.

In 1937, after the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the building became a center for coordinating propaganda and the forced mobilization of Koreans. Eventually, it was targeted by the Korean independence movement because of this. On July 24, 1945, the building was the site of the Bumingwan bombing incident. A conference for pro-Japanese Korean collaborators was being held at the building at the time. The attack occurred just weeks before the surrender of Japan, the liberation of Korea, and the end of the Korean independence movement.

After liberation, the building was used by the United States Army Military Government in Korea. In 1949, it became owned by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. On April 29, 1950, the National Theater Company of Korea was founded, and it used the building as its headquarters. Shortly afterwards, the Korean War began, and the theater company fled to Daegu for safety. The building was then used as the meeting hall for the National Assembly beginning in June 1954. They used the building until the Korea National Assembly Proceeding Hall was completed in 1975. It was then used as a civic center, then annex for the Sejong Center. Since 1991, it has been a building for the Seoul Metropolitan Council.