Ministry of the Interior and Safety Promotes 'Signboard Improvement Project' Reflecting Local Characteristics in 19 Municipalities

Expecting to Enhance Daily Safety and Support Local Business Revitalization

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Old signs are being improved into new signs that consider regional characteristics to protect residents' safety and support the revitalization of local commercial districts.

On the 24th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (Minister Lee Sang-min) announced that it has finally selected 19 local governments, including Gangdong-gu in Seoul and Gimpo and Namyangju in Gyeonggi Province, through a public contest for the '2023 Sign Improvement Project.' The Sign Improvement Project is a project in which resident councils composed of local residents cooperate with local governments to replace old and large signs with signs that harmonize well with regional characteristics.

Since its launch in 2012, the Sign Improvement Project has been funded partly by the profits from outdoor advertising projects for fund formation, and so far, it has supported 25.2 billion KRW to 252 local governments. In 2019, the sign improvement project on Aehyang-gil in Haeundae-gu, Busan, replaced 779 old and large signs around Haeundae Beach with 343 new signs.

For the '2023 Sign Improvement Project,' the Ministry of the Interior and Safety conducted a public contest targeting local governments nationwide from January to March and selected 19 local governments. In April, evaluations were conducted on 46 local governments (50 projects) that participated, assessing implementation capacity, resident participation, and regional suitability, and 19 local governments were finally confirmed. Selected local governments will receive up to 250 million KRW and will carry out projects such as sign design planning, sign production, and installation by December 2023.

Meanwhile, besides budget support, the Ministry requires new sign installations to undergo design review by the Korea Outdoor Advertising Center, a professional institution, to support image improvement. After completion, a follow-up evaluation and on-site inspection will be conducted for two years to ensure continuous project implementation. Additionally, together with the Korea Outdoor Advertising Center, the Ministry plans to conduct research on institutional improvements regarding performance evaluation and follow-up management of the sign improvement projects carried out over the past 10 years to establish sustainable management measures.

Choi Hoon, Director of the Local Autonomy and Decentralization Office, said, “Through the Sign Improvement Project, not only has the urban landscape improved, but the stagnant local commercial districts have been revitalized, and residents' safety has greatly increased. We will discover areas that need the Sign Improvement Project and actively support them administratively and financially.”

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