Mapo-gu 'Hongdae Festival Street Plaza' Opens... Innovative Graphic Design Draws Attention

Opening of 110m Plaza in Front of KT&G Sangsangmadang on the 19th... Aiming to Revitalize Local Economy through Culture and Arts Including Performances, Exhibitions, Festivals, and Flea Markets... Simultaneous Improvement of Pedestrian Safety Issues Due to Lack of Separation Between Road and Sidewalk

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) held an opening ceremony on the 19th for the 'Hongdae Festival Street Plaza,' created in the Hongdae Sangsangmadang area to host festivals and cultural arts events year-round.

The Hongdae Festival Street Plaza is part of the tourism industry promotion policy through the expansion of tourism infrastructure, one of the campaign pledges of Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun during the 7th local government term. It aims to encourage various cultural and artistic activities such as performances, exhibitions, festivals, and flea markets.

The festival street plaza, spanning 110 meters in length and covering an area of 2,800㎡ from in front of KT&G Sangsangmadang Hongdae Center to the entrance of Hongtong Street, expresses the diverse culture of the Hongdae area?where festivals, busking, and indie culture coexist?using innovative graphic design. The road design, painted in vivid primary colors, delights the eyes of onlookers.

The district plans to utilize the festival street plaza as a cultural and relaxation space where various contents such as culture, arts, and festivals are held year-round, fostering it as a representative landmark of Mapo loved by both domestic and international tourists and residents.

Previously, this street faced criticism for pedestrian safety issues due to the lack of clear separation between the roadway and sidewalks. The district significantly improved congestion by repainting to distinguish sidewalks from roadways, along with maintenance of surrounding facilities such as streetlights and traffic signals.

The festival street plaza will regularly host busking performances, which is welcomed by local artists as well.

Kim Yoo-bin (25), an indie band musician active in the Hongdae area, said, “The free and unique design and the dedicated busking space will greatly help in interacting with the audience during performances.”

The district plans to establish specific plaza operation regulations in the future and expand the performance culture ecosystem, currently concentrated around the Walkable Street area, to the vicinity of Sangsangmadang.

Additionally, the plaza’s operation will be planned in a way that involves nearby merchants, external experts, and residents together, aiming to revitalize the local economy through cultural events.

There is hope that this will bring vitality to the surrounding commercial area, which has been depressed due to the recent spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun of Mapo-gu said, “Culture and arts have a great ripple effect,” adding, “We will operate the festival street plaza as a place where diverse people and contents interact, injecting vitality into tourism and the economy.”

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