Abstract
As Seoul rapidly transforms under post-industrial urban redevelopment, traditional open-air and semi-enclosed marketplaces are being dismantled or modernized, leading to the rapid decay of unique sonic environments. This study investigates the soundscape ecology of vanishing traditional marketplaces in Seoul, examining how acoustic memory and sonic heritage operate as loci for urban nostalgia and socio-cultural identity. Utilizing a hybrid sensory-ethnographic methodology that combines field audio recordings, acoustic decibel mapping, and semi-structured interviews with long-term vendors and patrons across three historical market sites (Euljiro, Cheongnyangni, and Yongsan), we document the transient sonic motifs—such as rhythmic vendor cries (so-ri), metal-shearing echoes, and analog commerce chatter—that define these urban spaces. Our findings reveal that acoustic environments in traditional markets function as invisible archives of collective memory, offering counter-narratives to the sensory homogenization driven by hyper-modern urban design. Furthermore, local residents express a profound sense of 'acoustic grief' as rich, highly varied soundscapes are replaced by the sanitized, low-frequency hums of high-rise commercial architecture. Ultimately, this research calls for the integration of soundscape conservation into heritage preservation frameworks, arguing that the acoustic dimension of urban spaces is indispensable to sustaining cultural resilience in post-industrial East Asian metropolises.
