It was constructed between 31 August 1984 and 30 April 1986, to host the gymnastics competitions at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

It is a self-supporting cable dome – the first of its kind ever built – with a four-layer fabric cladding.

[2][3] In 2018, the arena was extensively remodeled, including improving the conditions for concerts and redesigning the facade.

[4] Since the Olympics it has hosted a variety of events, notably as a concert venue for both South Korean and international artists.

The arena is also infamous due to an incident on 17 February 1992 when American boy band New Kids on the Block abruptly halted their performance after 20 minutes due to a fatal human crush incident where female Korean teenagers swarmed the band to the stage.