Yeongdeungpo-gu, Limited Opening of Yeouido Cherry Blossom Road After 3 Years

[Seoul District News] Cherry Blossom Path Partially Reopened After 2-Year Closure Due to COVID-19... Full Vehicle Ban, Pedestrian Access Only... March 31-April 8, 1.7km Yeouiseo-ro Cherry Blossom Path Operated with Designated Walking Direction... Official Festival Not Held, Walking Allowed During Specified Hours... Songpa-gu Cancels Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival Again Due to COVID-19, Switches to '21km Songpa Dullegil Cherry Blossom Outing'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Chae Hyun-il) announced that it will partially open the Yeouido Cherry Blossom Road after three years.

In line with the gradual recovery of daily life, instead of a full closure, the plan is to narrow the distance with spring flowers while maintaining safe distancing.

Previously, for the past two years, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the local community, the district fully closed the Yeouido Cherry Blossom Road (Yeouiseo-ro), Seoul’s representative cherry blossom street during blooming season, and implemented ‘spring flower distancing.’

In particular, in 2020, the district completely canceled the ‘Yeouido Spring Flower Festival,’ its largest event in 16 years, and last year, along with the full closure of the cherry blossom road, held the first-ever hybrid online and offline festival, conducting a limited spring flower viewing program only for those selected by lottery.

This year, due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, no official festival will be held. However, from March 31 to April 8, the Yeouiseo-ro cherry blossom road from the southern end of Seogang Bridge to the Assembly Hall intersection will be partially opened for citizens to walk. On weekdays, the walkway will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on weekends from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

For a pleasant walking environment and visitor safety, the cherry blossom road will operate as a one-way path on the right side, and riding electric scooters and bicycles on the cherry blossom road is prohibited. Entry and exit to the cherry blossom road will only be possible at the Seogang Bridge southern end intersection and the Assembly Hall intersection, with all access routes from Hangang Park to Yeouiseo-ro cherry blossom road blocked.

With the reopening of the cherry blossom road for walking after three years, the district will fully close vehicle traffic on Yeouiseo-ro (1.7 km) from noon on March 30 to noon on April 9. Additionally, the entire Yeouido area will be divided according to density to intensively crack down on basic order violations such as illegal street vendors and unauthorized parking.

Along with strengthening disinfection of the cherry blossom road, the district plans to specially manage areas expected to attract many visitors, focusing on preventing COVID-19 spread and safety accidents.

Information related to the spring flower road opening and traffic control can be found on the official spring flower festival website. The website will also offer various video contents such as ‘Flower Watching Videos’ and ‘Drone Views of the Cherry Blossom Road’ so that people can enjoy the spring flowers fully even from home.

Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Chae Hyun-il said, “Based on years of experience managing order throughout Yeouido and last year’s successful limited spring flower walk operation, this year we will continue strong order maintenance to prevent COVID-19 while returning the cherry blossom road to citizens after three years. We hope everyone will walk along the cherry blossom road, an outdoor space with low infection risk, to soothe their minds and bodies tired from COVID-19 and welcome a hopeful spring.”

Songpa-gu (District Mayor Park Seong-su) will not hold the Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival this year, following 2020 and 2021, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Seokchon Lake, the only natural lake in Seoul, is a tourist attraction visited by millions of spring visitors every year to see the cherry blossoms. However, to prevent COVID-19 spread, the lake has been completely closed during cherry blossom season since 2020. Due to the surge of the Omicron variant, an in-person cherry blossom festival is not possible this year either.

Therefore, the district will hold a ‘Cherry Blossom Outing’ event from March 25 to April 3 on the ‘Songpa Dullegil,’ a well-developed cherry blossom trail instead of Seokchon Lake. Visitors can safely enjoy the spring atmosphere and various cultural programs while walking the 21 km Songpa Dullegil, which connects Seongnaecheon, Jangjicheon, Tancheon, and the Han River.

The district will create photo zones and light sculptures at major scenic spots along the trail with excellent cherry blossom views. Additionally, a giant LED media screen will be installed in front of the ‘Mulbit Square’ at Seongnaecheon to provide unique attractions. Various exhibitions will also be held. Chalk art, taping art, and environmental pollution photo exhibitions by Songpa young artists will be displayed along the 4.4 km Tancheon Dullegil walking path from Gwangpyeonggyo to Samsunggyo, completed after 50 years, and a photo exhibition themed ‘The Four Seasons of the 21 km Songpa Dullegil’ will be held at the plaza under Gwangpyeonggyo.

Songpa-gu Mayor Park Seong-su said, “Cherry blossoms bloom all over Songpa-gu in spring, not just at Seokchon Lake. Especially, Jangjicheon, Garden Five, Parkrio, Asan Hospital, and Olympic Park North Gate 2 along the Songpa Dullegil form spectacular cherry blossom tunnels, and Seongnaecheon offers breathtaking cherry blossom paths that embrace the stream. This year, we hope everyone enjoys a safe and healthy cherry blossom outing by walking the Songpa Dullegil.”

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