Cheonggyecheon is a stream that runs west to east in downtown Seoul. This is the western source of the stream.
Royal governments had done some work on the stream to improve the city's drainage, and many city residents relied on the stream as their source of water. After the Korean War, refugees and migrant workers flocked to Seoul, forming shantytowns along the stream and turning it into a cesspool of sewage.
In 1958, the eyesore of a stream was covered up with concrete. In 1976, an elevated highway was built over it. Both developments were a sign of progress in the era of industrialization.
In 2003, however, to promote a more eco-friendly city core, Mayor Lee Myung-bak (who would become national President in 2007) started tearing up the concrete cover and the highway, and by October 2005, a "restored" stream became a new attraction for the city. However, in typical Lee fashion, merchants along the stream whose businesses had been impacted were compensated very inadequately.
As the recent developments in Seoul had nearly dried the stream out, this fountain serves as the source of water to keep the stream flowing.
