• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.103-110
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• 2010

As ongoing construction of a new municipal government building leads to the destruction of the interior of the Kyungsung Municipal Government Building(currentlySeoul Metropolitan City Hall) despite its enormous historic value, this study aims to identify the unique features of spatial composition and interior design of the Kyungsung Municipal Government Building, which is widely known as a typical example of public architecture of the 1920s. The primary goal is to perform a systemic arrangement of its interior data and define the modern historic implications of its interior design, thereby laying the foundation for a compilation of the history of modern interior design. From a historical perspective, the Kyungsung Municipal Government Building-an explicit symbol of Japanese colonial supremacy-has served as the administrative hub of a hugecity for 19 years during the Japanese colonial rule and for 64 years following Korea's independence from Japan. From the perspective of architectural history, it also represents modern transitional buildingsin their shift from historicism into modernism, as manifested by its reasonable placement of interior space matching well with topographical form, easy access by citizens, open office space, and, excluding decoration, a simple and non-authoritarian exterior. Its interior design style follows Western historicist architecture, whereasits simple interior decoration embodies expressive characteristics of pragmatic simplicity. Such elements are notably found in the Grand Central Hall, the Municipal Head's Reception Room, and the Grand Conference Room.