Wonhyo Bridge

Wonhyo Bridge
	Wonhyo Bridge at night
Korean name
Hangul	원효대교
Hanja	元曉大橋
Revised Romanization	Wonhyo daegyo
McCune–Reischauer	Wŏnhyo taegyo

The Wonhyo Bridge (Korean: 원효대교) crosses the Han River in South Korea and connects the districts of Yongsan District and Yeongdeungpo District. The bridge was completed in 1981 (43 years ago) (1981). It was the 13th to be built on the Han River.^[1]

History

Construction started on the bridge on July 17, 1978. The bridge opened on October 27, 1981.^[2] On December 10,^{[citation needed]} 1981, toll fees were introduced. The toll fees were controversial; Wonhyo Bridge was the only bridge to have tolls at that time, so vehicles avoided using it, which defeated the purpose of the bridge.^[2] On February 1, 1983, Dongah Construction donated the bridge to Seoul Metropolitan City. After the ownership change, the tolls (and toll gates) were removed.^[2]

In popular culture

Wonhyo Bridge was selected as the set for a fighting scene included in the 2006 Korean film The Host directed by Bong Joon-ho. In the movie, Wonhyo Bridge was where the creature was hiding, and where the daughter of the main character was kidnapped. The reason for selecting this location was that it fitted well with the film's concept of a sewer under a bridge, and the external appearance of Wonhyo Bridge is more dynamic than other bridges, and this added tension.^{[citation needed]}