Why Did the Commercial Area Around Sillim Station in Gwanak-gu Transform into a Vibrant Hub?

Selected as Seoul's first Small and Medium Venture Business Ministry-led 'Sangkwon Renaissance Project,' investing 8 billion KRW by March 2025... Supporting revitalization of Sillim Station area commercial districts including Sundae Town, Seowon-dong Shopping Street, and Sinwon Market... Expanding infrastructure with Starlight Bridge theme, trick art, and signing first-ever district agreement with Danggeun Market

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The Renaissance, meaning the revival or rebirth of scholarship or art, is transforming the once stagnant area around Sillim Station in Gwanak-gu into a vibrant commercial district under the starlight.

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) was selected in December 2019 as the first district in Seoul to participate in the Small and Medium Venture Business Administration’s Commercial District Renaissance contest. Together with the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation, it is promoting the ‘Starlight Sinsari Commercial District Renaissance’ project, investing a total of 8 billion KRW by March 2025 in the area around Sillim Station (61,906㎡).

This is the result of Gwanak-gu’s efforts, which began with the 7th local government administration’s pledge to revive the local economy by forming a consultative body including merchant representatives, landlords, and experts to regenerate the Sillim Station area?where foot traffic had been gradually declining?into a representative commercial district of Seoul.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “Since the beginning of my term, I have been committed to revitalizing alleyway commercial districts with the mindset of doing anything that could help small business owners, even if it costs just one won. The area around Sillim Station has favorable conditions for commercial district revitalization, with the subway Line 2 and the existing Sundae Town commercial district densely concentrated.”

The ‘Starlight Sinsari Commercial District Renaissance’ project targets the Seowon-dong shopping street centered on Sundae Town, as well as Sinwon Market and Gwanak General Market, supporting the revival and activation of the local commercial district.

First, the old gates and sidewalks around Sillim Station will be refreshed and newly renovated. The area around Seowon Pedestrian Bridge, called ‘Starlight Naerincheon,’ will be themed as ‘Starlight Bridge,’ and a street where visitors can stay and enjoy will be created by replacing trick art, wrapping bridge piers, and installing motion capture games.

Additionally, digital signage and gobos will be installed at the main entrances of the commercial district to naturally attract visitors.

The public-private cooperation system for the successful execution of the Commercial District Renaissance project has also been strengthened. Last year, the district signed a business agreement with Danggeun Market, the largest local community service in Korea, becoming the first autonomous district to do so. They plan to use Danggeun Market as an online communication hub for commercial district revitalization, including ▲improving residents’ daily convenience ▲discovering on-tact commercial district activation models ▲and online events.

To strengthen the competitiveness of individual small business owners, 1:1 customized consulting and facility improvements will be supported. Together with dining experts, new specialized products and recipes that can represent the commercial district will be developed to breathe life and vitality into the area.

Various promotional channels are being explored, including holding a commercial district promotional UCC contest in collaboration with Seoul National University and local specialized high schools. In addition, online non-face-to-face sales channels such as live commerce are also being developed.

Regarding street cleaning issues such as cigarette butts, collection boxes will be installed throughout the area, and the local self-support center will directly manage and take responsibility for them in an efficient collaborative manner.

Mayor Park Jun-hee stated, “Small business owners are facing many difficulties due to the prolonged unexpected COVID-19 pandemic. We will develop content that can attract young people as soon as possible and strengthen the self-sustainability of alleyway commercial districts to revitalize the stagnant local economy.”

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