What are the common features that define such great cities as New York or Paris? Arts and culture, of course. The cultural and artistic sophistication of these fine cities extend to their underground transportation systems. Beautiful chandeliers hang from the ceilings and impressive sculptures stand against the walls at the Grand Central subway station in New York. The station even served as the venue for the world-renowned New York Philharmonic Orchestra, illustrating the important position the subway station occupies in the city’s cultural and arts scene.

The subway system in Paris is refined and elegant as the city itself. The entrance to the Louvre Museum station features graceful antique fixtures and the Abbesses station near Montmartre is where the intricate curves and delicate details of famed architect Hector Guimard’s art nouveau works still amaze passers-by. The public is treated to the performances of street artists at subway transfer junctures. They may perform on the streets, but they are all bona fide artists contracted with Paris Metro.

Subway is no longer a mere means of transportation. It is a dynamic symbol defining a city’s urban culture. And New York and Paris are not the only cities in the world that feature a culturally enriched subway system.

- I was just walking by, but was pleasantly surprised when I heard the music. It felt so refreshing that I don’t feel tired anymore.
- Hearing live music in the manmade, drab city gave me energy. I didn’t realize how tired I was until I heard the music. I have been missing such cultural inputs and now want to have more of it.
- Performances at subway stations are easy to enjoy and they’re free.
- I was in a hurry, but came to a stop when I heard the music. It’s nice that I get to enjoy music in a subway station without going to a theater. The relaxed performance of a single guitar was really pleasing.

The underground plaza connecting Seoul subway lines one and four has been hosting music and cultural performances for the past twelve years. That’s an average of 2,600 performances per year. The number of performances has risen over the years, now totaling some 17,000 in twelve years. The plaza has become an important cultural venue for Seoul residents. Here’s Mr. Oh Yeon-hong for Seoul Metro to explain more.

Subway is a favorite mode of public transportation for the people of Seoul. We were thinking about making the subway more than a means of transportation, a place where people can drop by and relax. Then we hit upon the idea of providing the artists with a stage to perform, like the street artists seen in Paris or London metro stations. Although we lacked advanced sound and lighting facilities in the beginning, the performances got encouraging responses from Seoul subway riders. At their request, we were able to expand the number of performances at various locations along the Seoul subway lines. Now there are permanent stages at five stations - Euljiro station, Dongdaemun station, Jamsil Sports Complex station, Seonneung station, and Ddukseom station. There are also three temporary stages at Sadang station, Suseo station, and Seoul National University station. All in all forty stations have places where performances can be held.

The range of genres stretches farther than anyone imagined – from folk music to songs from Latin America and the Andes, from traditional Korean music and independent rock bands to dance. As people watch a wide spectrum of performances, they come to wonder, “Who are these artists?” Here’s Mr. Oh Yeon-hong of Seoul Metro to answer that question.

Seoul Metro has adopted an artist certification system in order to raise the quality of artistic performances and meet the heightened cultural expectations of metro riders. We held our first public audition in 2008 and 129 teams were certified over the next three years to perform in the subway stations. They now present colorful and sophisticated performances at our subway stations. In order to maintain the level of artists’ skills and passion, we evaluated in last December the performances and audience responses of our artists, and categorized them into three groups – general artists, honorary artists, and new artists. In all, we now have 55 teams actively performing in Seoul Metro stations.

Seoul Metro holds yearly auditions to select the very best of the city’s street artists. Thanks to the rising popularity of subway performances, the competition to seize one of the coveted spots in a subway station has grown quite intense. One of the lucky teams that made the fourth year roster of the subway music and culture program is an independent band named Necle Band. This acoustic band is scheduled to hold its first performance at the hip Hongdae subway station. Here’s a Necle member, Shin Seung-beom.

We’ve been performing on the streets even before we got this chance. But we wanted closer interactions with the public. Last November we saw an ad for the Metro Artist audition and tried out for it. Luckily, we made it, and today is our first subway performance. It feels totally new even though we have been performing for a long time. Maybe it has to do with the venue. We used to play music for people who came out to see us, but this is playing for people who are on their way to somewhere else. I’m curious as to how people will react to our music. But I’m glad for this new start.



The subway performances offer a chance for busy city people to enjoy a moment of relaxation and pleasure. But they are also a chance for budding artists to reach out to the public with their music, and get encouragement and validation for their talents. Some musicians even find a reason to live in their performances. Singer Gong So-ya mainly sings folk songs at Jongno 5-ga station of subway line one.

His lifelong dream was to make music and sing. He has been performing at the same spot for the past ten years and the longest-running member of the Seoul Metro artist group. He loves the subways because he came to realize his dream through the metro performances and how happy he was performing.

My childhood dream was to sing. It is a good thing for a musician to get a chance to sing. I’m so happy that I can sing to my heart’s content. I’ve been performing for ten years now. Of course, my audience comes and goes as they please. But they also give me a big applause if they hear a song they like, and buy me a can of soda to thank me for the song. That’s when it feels rewarding. I’m happy that my song just doesn’t disappear, but touches someone else’s heart.

Seoul Metro cultural performances delight people with a variety of disciplines and performances. The most popular genre is the foreign music performances.

Chani Latino is a duo of Ecuadorean brothers who plays Andean music at Dongdaemun Stadium station of subway line five. Here’s Ali, one of the duo.

We are from Ecuador and our team is called Chani Latino. We play Latin American and Andean music and sometimes Korean songs. This Andean music is called El Condor Pasa and this instrument is a Peruvian flute named sampaña. We also have a Kenyan flute. We like performing here. It’s fun.

It’s not every day that Koreans get to hear Latin American music, all the more reason why Koreans enjoy it so much.

- I just heard Ecuadorean music. I haven’t been to South America, but hearing the music made me want to go there. It was also nice that I got to hear it in the subway.
- We don’t get to see a lot of Ecuadorean musical instruments. It’s new and pleasant to hear music from another country.
- I was in the park when I heard the music. I brought my children to see this, because they are not familiar with this kind of instrument. Street music is nice in that everyone can share it, even those just passing by. Also, the subway is too drab without music.

Musical performances are not the only cultural experience offered by Seoul Metro. There are galleries in several subway stations to provide artistic enrichment to metro riders. Here’s Mr. Kim Jeong-hwan of Seoul Metro to explain more.

Gyeongbok Palace station was built from the beginning to accommodate a gallery. It opened in 1986, so it’s been a while since the subway station served as a gallery. Since then another gallery opened in Hyehwa혜화 station of subway line four in 2000 and another art gallery at Seoul National University station in 2010. Except for subway line one, all Seoul metro lines each has a gallery. It’s cheaper to hold an exhibition here than at any other place and so many people can look at the artworks while passing by. It’s a win-win situation for both the artist and the public.

Some subway stations have even set up a library so people who have time to kill can relax and read a poem or a short story. Seoul Metro has provided venues where people can read, enjoy music, and appreciate artworks.

This is not the extent of services provided by Seoul Metro. The Seoul subway authority partnered up with seven local governments to open farmers’ markets at seven subway stations. Consumers have a great time shopping for quality agricultural products and fresh seafood. Farmers and fishermen are guaranteed a place to sell their produce and seafood, and consumers get fair pricing because they buy directly from the producers.

- The subway market is a great way for a farmer like me to sell fresh produce. Marketing and sales are taken care of, and customer response is great. Since a marketing channel is guaranteed for us farmers, we only pay attention to bringing high-quality produce. It’s also great for consumers, because we deal directly with the consumers without the middle men, our prices are 20 or 30% cheaper than the prices at regular markets.

Cultural performances satisfy the eyes and ears of subway riders, beautiful paintings boost people’s appreciation of art, music concerts provide amateur musicians with opportunities to show off their talents, and farmers’ markets promote rural communities and encourage consumers to spend their money more wisely. While the subway systems in New York or Paris are oriented more toward culture and arts, the Seoul metro systems permeate every aspect of our lives, from culture and arts to marketplaces. The Seoul Metro cultural program has become another symbol of Korea’s urban culture.