Since the project's completion in 2005 it has been subjected to much debate.
The media was the first to praise the achievement of Lee M.B. but despite the tremendous initial approval, there was strong criticism. This suggested that the restoration of the Cheonggyecheon was driven by the ideas of the "new developmentalism" which subjects everything to economic value, making it more destructive than beneficial (Hong, Sung Tae). Another critic Cho, Myeong- Rae agreed with Hong's point of view that the project is just "an urban redevelopment disguising itself as an ecology and history restoration project".
However, the negative effect of the renewed river way in terms of the surrounding environment and ecology still hasn't been proven. Thus leading to the conclusion that these critiques are strongly biased due to the political views and interests of Lee's opposition.
There is another group of people, however, who's dissatisfaction has not really been taken into consideration - the street vendors. The people that used to make their living by selling goods on the busy Cheongye Road had to be shut down or relocated. Leading to a strong decrease in the livelihood. Closing them down and moving them also meant sacrificing the city flea market that was a local landmark sine 1950.
Setting this aside, another problem occurred: the little consideration of disabled people's access. Looking further into the matter it turned out that the project developers had little contact with the community and failed to accommodate all their needs. Thus seven elevators had to be additionally designed and installed in various positions along the walk for people with mobility issues. Despite that the pavement of the walkways continue to be uncomfortable for wheelchair users.
Another problem that was also picked on was the bad lighting of the area. Aiming for a more intimate and pleasant atmosphere the low light illumination creates dark and unpleasant areas under the extremely wide bridges, also making it impossible for visually impaired people to navigate themselves around the area.
Despite all the inconveniences and criticism the project still remains a largely successful one. The amount of cars going through the area was significantly decreased, reconstruction was environmentally friendly, the diversity of wild life has been brought back to the heart of Seoul, but most importantly the Cheonggyecheon has become very popular among residents and visitors, making it a set example for further redevelopment projects in Korea and other countries:
A local resident commented; "A stream at the heart of a big and busy city… So amazing.. Hope all other countries will do the same..."
