Gwangju Seo-gu Strongly Responds to 'Illegal Advertisements' That Deteriorate Urban Aesthetics and Threaten Safety

Published 04 Mar.2022 17:01(KST)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shin Dong-ho] Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Seo Dae-seok) announced on the 4th that it will take strong measures against illegal advertisements.

In particular, special measures have been prepared to eradicate illegal advertisements such as banners and balloon advertisements that obstruct drivers' visibility, posing a serious threat to pedestrian safety, or that spoil the urban landscape.

By increasing enforcement personnel, maintenance teams of 8 members in 2 groups on weekdays and 7 members in 2 groups on holidays will be maintained.

In April and May, 8 additional members in 4 night teams will be organized to maintain a continuous maintenance and enforcement system 365 days a year.

Balloon advertisements and streetlight banners that spoil the urban landscape will be maintained in major sections, and leaflets indiscriminately distributed in entertainment districts such as Sangmu District and areas dense with lodging businesses will be jointly cracked down on with related organizations such as the police station.

Administrative efforts will be focused on eradicating illegal banners by expanding the illegal banner collection reward system, especially in places where habitual and guerrilla-style banner postings frequently occur.

More active measures such as imposing fines or filing complaints will be taken against habitual and chronic violators.

At the same time, designated banner posting boards will be expanded in areas with high foot traffic, and designated banner posting boards will be installed and pilot-operated to prevent unauthorized installations.

The campaign to eradicate illegal advertisements, which had been conducted in multi-use places, was temporarily suspended due to COVID-19, and instead, SNS and Seo-gu newsletters, which have increased in use, will be utilized.

A Seo-gu official said, "Illegal advertisements such as banners not only spoil the urban landscape but also pose a serious threat to pedestrian safety. Although it is true that the local economy is struggling due to COVID-19, we ask advertisers for their cooperation so that a proper advertising culture can be established by abiding by laws and principles."

Meanwhile, Seo-gu maintained about 350,000 cases of illegal floating advertisements such as banners last year and imposed fines of 350 million KRW in 35 cases.