[9] This dramatic turn-around is considered to be the result of the Miracle on the Han River, a term coined to describe Seoul's highly accelerated and successful development since the early 1960s.

Used charcoal briquettes and other industrial waste materials produced during the city's rapid development in this period led to pile ups of trash.

In 1996, Seoul began to launch stabilization projects to withhold further industrial developments and build facilities to prevent the environmental contamination caused by the landfill zone.

The stabilization projects included reinforcing the inclines of the landfill that were on the verge of collapsing, minimizing the sludge from the trash and collecting harmful gases.

The plan has since been carried out in concrete, and encompasses separate projects such as the World Cup Park, an environmentally friendly housing complex and the Digital Media City.

Millennium City, conceived as a new town center, also encompasses the World Cup Soccer Park, a major transportation hub, and the restored Nanji-do landfill.