Signboard Improvement Initiative in Euljiro 42-gil and Dasan-ro 44-gil Areas, Jung-gu, Seoul

Approximately 400 Million Won to Be Invested in 165 Stores... Formation of Residents' Committee, Residents to Select Companies and Designs

Yaksu Heights Apartment Shopping Center Signboard After Improvement

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Seoyangho) is undertaking a major signboard improvement project in the Euljiro42-gil area and around Dasan-ro44-gil, where indiscriminate and outdated signboards have proliferated.

The specific targets are 65 stores in the Gwanghui-dong Central Asia Street area and 100 stores along Dasan-ro44-gil, which connects Sindang 5-dong east to west.

Both areas have been suffering from signboards that spoil the aesthetics, leading to many requests from merchants and residents concerned about commercial district decline for maintenance. In particular, Gwanghui-dong Central Asia Street has many illegal advertisements without Korean language notation, making a thorough cleanup necessary.

Sindang 5-dong is scheduled for a Seoul-type urban regeneration project this year, so signboard improvements are expected to create a synergistic effect if carried out together.

Accordingly, the district plans to invest about 410 million KRW to replace the cluttered signboards in these areas with unique and neat designs to revitalize the region.

The signboard designs will be based on the "Jung-gu Signboard Design Guidelines," which were established by collecting basic data and good signboard examples accumulated through Jung-gu’s previous projects, incorporating local characteristics and store owners’ opinions. The signboards will be made in LED type, which saves 80% of annual electricity costs.

The number and location of signboards, which affect the local aesthetics, will be adjusted according to the "Act on the Management of Outdoor Advertisements and the Promotion of Outdoor Advertising Industry," tailored to the conditions of buildings and stores.

Additionally, most advertisements using windows will be removed.

This signboard improvement project will be led throughout by the Signboard Improvement Residents’ Committee, composed of merchants and building owners. Jung-gu will support the project by signing an agreement with the committee. Participating stores will receive subsidies up to 2.5 million KRW, and store owners only need to cover any excess costs.

Jung-gu plans to complete preliminary work such as forming a proposal evaluation committee to select the project operator and publicly recruiting transparent and competitive companies by the end of June, then fully proceed with design consultations and signboard installations for each store starting in July.

Since 2008, Jung-gu has promoted signboard improvement projects targeting 4,165 signboards across 33 sections, and last year improved 152 signboards with energy-saving LED types, including 87 stores along Sejong-daero and 65 locations in the Yaksu Apartment shopping area.

Seoyangho, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, "Signboards play an important role in the street landscape of Jung-gu," adding, "We will properly reflect the characteristics of each area with differentiated designs to transform the streets into neat and clean spaces."

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