Soyoun Kim

CumLaude

Department: Contextual Design
Website: kim-soyoun.com

Blue Neutralised Zone

Straddling the Joint Security Area between North and South Korea is a tiny neutral area that both sides currently share. The blue Panmunjom pavilions standing here are an iconic symbol of the truce that was signed in 1953. With ‘Blue Neutralised Zone’, Soyoun Kim envisages extending the shared, neutral area with a total of 25 such pavilions dotted along the entire 250-km border. These would help to redefine the relationship between South and North Korea as a harmonious co-existence, possibly even paving the way for unity.
The pavilions would transform the symbols of conflict, such as infiltration tunnels and propaganda loudspeakers, into new symbols of a peaceful future. Here, visitors from both sides would be able to encounter a common history and culture, learning to embrace the differences instead of magnifying them. In this way, the new architecture could help to build a better political landscape.