Following Incheon and Daejeon, 'Taxi Roof Light Advertising' Allowed in Seoul as Well

Revision of Taxi Roof Light LED Advertising Pilot Project Notice to Take Effect on the 20th

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Following Daejeon and Incheon, a pilot project allowing 'taxi roof light advertisements' will be implemented in Seoul as well.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 19th that they will revise and implement the "Taxi Roof Light Electronic Display Advertising Pilot Operation Notice" on the 20th to foster the new media outdoor advertising industry and support the development of the taxi industry. This pilot operation in major metropolitan areas is intended to analyze the effectiveness of advertisements and traffic safety before a full-scale institutional reform of taxi roof light advertisements.

Taxi roof light advertising is already introduced in major advanced countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, and in Korea, about 200 vehicles each in Daejeon and Incheon are currently operating pilot projects.

The revised notice sets the scale of the taxi roof light project in Seoul to a minimum of 200 vehicles or within 20% of registered vehicles, specifies that advertisements will be displayed as still images rather than videos, and reduces brightness at night compared to daytime (2,000 cd/㎡ during the day and 200 cd/㎡ after sunset) to prevent traffic safety issues and light pollution.

Additionally, to harmonize with the urban landscape and reflect regional characteristics, the design of the display lights must be reviewed by the Seoul Metropolitan Public Design Committee. More than 20 A/S centers will be designated, and annual regular inspections will be mandatory to enhance safety.

Seoul plans to integrate taxi roof lights with vacant taxi indicators so that citizens can easily identify whether taxis are vacant or reserved. Using side LCD screens, various commercial advertisements for small business owners, climate information (fine dust, CO2), and public service advertisements such as emergency disaster alerts will be provided in real time to improve citizens' convenience.

The Seoul pilot project will operate until the end of June next year, similar to Daejeon and Incheon. A comprehensive analysis of the project's effectiveness, traffic safety, and impact on the urban landscape will be conducted to decide on full approval in the first half of next year.

Lee Jae-gwan, Director of Local Autonomy and Decentralization at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, "Through this pilot project for electronic display advertising in Seoul, we hope to create an opportunity to revitalize the outdoor advertising industry tailored to regional characteristics and provide some support to taxi industry workers who are struggling due to the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.