It was reported on the 28th that Seoul's Jongno District is pushing to rename the subway Line 1 and 6 station 'Dongmyoap Station' to 'Sungin Station' after the nearby geographic name. The rationale is that there is no reason to include the name of Dongmyo, a shrine dedicated to the ancient Chinese general Guan Yu, in the subway station name. Opinions among local residents and merchants are divided, with some saying, "The name Dongmyo has become famous, so there's no need to change it," while others assert, "Sungin Station is better."
◇ Jongno District launches campaign to rename 'Dongmyoap Station' to 'Sungin Station'
On the 27th, Jongno District conducted a 'Sungin Station renaming campaign' and petition drive on the sidewalk near Dongmyoap Station. The area where Dongmyo is located is Sungin-dong. A Jongno District official noted, "The name 'Sungin' originates from Sungshinbang and Inchangbang in the Hanseongbu during the Joseon Dynasty," adding, "Residents and merchants are requesting that it be changed to Sungin Station."
Dongmyoap Station opened in December 2000 when Seoul Subway Line 6 was launched. The Line 1 station was established in December 2005. The station's name was derived from the nearby Dongguan Wangmiao (东关王廟), which houses a small statue of Guan Yu, a general from the Shu Kingdom in China. During the period when the Yuan Dynasty was replaced by the Ming Dynasty, the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' became widely read in China, and 'Guan Yu worship' became a trend. This trend also spread to Joseon.
Dongmyo was completed in 1601 (the 34th year of the reign of King Seonjo), three years after the end of the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592. It is said that the Ming Dynasty's Emperor Wanli personally provided the signboard and construction funds. The government designated Dongmyo as Treasure No. 142 in 1963.
Attempts to change the name of Dongmyoap Station to Sungin Station have been made before. Jongno District Council adopted proposals to rename the station to Sungin Station in 2005 and 2008. However, the station name has not changed to this day.
◇ "It has been called Dongmyoap Station for a long time…" vs "It is a shrine dedicated to a Chinese general…"
Local residents and merchants reacted differently to the proposed name change of Dongmyoap Station to Sungin Station. An individual surnamed Lee, 72, who was selling clothes at the vintage clothing market in Dongmyo, said, "Most people, excluding vendors here, don't even know what Dongmyo is. Sungin Station is better." In contrast, an individual surnamed Kim, 67, who was working in a clothing store, stated, "It has been called Dongmyoap Station for a long time; there is no need to change it."
Kim, 23, who came to buy clothes, asked, "Is there really a need to attach the name of a shrine dedicated to the Chinese general Guan Yu to the station?" A resident of Sungin-dong, surnamed Oh, 26, remarked, "People around here say they live in 'Sungin-dong,' not in 'Dongmyo,' and I think there is no need to change a familiar name."
To change a name of a subway station in Seoul, the local district's name committee must first gather public opinions and assess the validity of the change. After that, it must be reviewed by the Seoul City Name Committee before the city makes a final decision. The process for changing a station name takes a considerable amount of time. Nowon District changed the name of Dangogae Station on Line 4 to Bulamsan Station last year, which took over seven months for administrative procedures.