Seoul Plaza is a central plaza located in front of Seoul City Hall

Seoul City Hall

Seoul City Hall is a governmental building for the Seoul Metropolitan Government in South Korea, in charge of the administrative affairs of Seoul. It is located in Taepyeongno, Jung-gu, the heart of Seoul. It's located next to City Hall Station on Seoul Subway Line 1. In front of the city hall is...

 at Taepyeongno

Taepyeongno

Taepyeongno is a major thoroughfare in the central districts of Seoul, South Korea and the second longest road next to Sejongno in the Gangbuk area. With a 1.1 km length and a 50m width, Taepyeongno originates at 139 Sejongno in Jongno-gu and terminates at Namdaemun in Jung-gu. It runs southwards...

, Jung-gu

Jung-gu, Seoul

Jung-gu is one of the 25 gu which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is located on the north side of the Han River, and is the historical center of the city .-Overview:...

 in Seoul

Seoul

Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

, South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

. It was reopened on May 1, 2004, by Seoul Metropolitan Government

Seoul Metropolitan Government

Seoul Metropolitan Government is the administrative organization of Seoul. The mayor is elected to a four year term by the Seoul citizens and is responsible for the administration of the city government...

 with the purpose of providing the public an open space. The site was originally a traffic square with a 40-year-old fountain that was demolished and the nearby space was renovated.
Seoul Plaza is elliptical in shape, covering a 3,995 pyeong in total and a 1,904 pyeong

Pyeong

A pyeong is a unit of measurement in Korea equal to square metres . The similar unit of measurement in Japan is the tsubo...

 for grass area. Instead of the fountain, an underground water tank is installed along with 48 lighting around the grass square. The plaza has been the site of protests against US beef imports in South Korea

US beef imports in South Korea

The 2008 US beef protest in South Korea was an importation issue in South Korea – United States relations after the closure of the South Korean market to US beef imports upon the discovery of a US case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in 2003...

.