Jung-gu, Resumption of Walking Tour Courses with Cultural Interpreters

Walking Tours with Cultural Guides Resume in March with 9 Routes

From This Year, Pilgrimage History Trail Divided into Two Routes, New Jung-gu History and Culture Course (Namsan~Cheongwadae) Introduced

Non-face-to-face Cultural Guide Walking Tour Program Allows Solo Walking Tours via Smartphone

Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Gil-seong) will resume walking tour programs with cultural guides starting in March.

Jung-gu is the center of 600 years of Joseon history, home to National Treasure No. 1, Sungnyemun Gate, as well as designated cultural assets and heritage sites like Deoksugung Palace. Recently, the Euljiro and Sindang-dong areas have become 'hot spots,' rapidly rising in popularity as 'Hipjiro' and 'Hipdang-dong.'

The district operates nine cultural guide walking tour courses that weave stories encompassing the past and present of the area. Listening to hidden historical and cultural stories from guides offers a time-travel experience, making familiar places like Myeongdong and Namsan feel new.

The cultural guide courses operated by Jung-gu include ▲ Hanyangdoseong Namsan Section (Gwanghuimun~Sungnyemun) ▲ Gwanghuimun Moonlight Road (Heunginjimun~Mudangcheon) ▲ Jangchungdan Patriotic Path (Jangchungdan Monument~Freedom Center) ▲ Jeongdong Circuit (Jeongdong Theater~Seoul Museum of Art) ▲ Pilgrimage History Trail 1 (Myeongdong Cathedral~Yakhyeon Cathedral) ▲ Pilgrimage History Trail 2 (Jungnim-dong Yakhyeon Cathedral~Upo Police Station Site) ▲ Myeongdong History and Culture Tour (Culture Park~Munye Seorim Site) ▲ Namsan Memory Road (Jangchungdan Park~Joseon Shrine Site) ▲ Jung-gu History and Culture Course (Namsan~Cheongwadae), totaling nine walking tour courses, plus one facility tour course at Jangchungdan Memory Space.

So far, a total of 519 guided programs have been conducted, with 4,790 visitors participating.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the operating period was shortened, and efforts were made to provide non-face-to-face training for guides, develop and maintain new courses, preparing richer programs.

As a result, the Pilgrimage History Trail, which previously operated from Myeongdong Cathedral to Yakhyeon Cathedral, has been divided into two separate routes starting this year. Course 1 runs from Myeongdong Cathedral to the Kim Beom-woo Residence Site, and Course 2 runs from Jungnim-dong Yakhyeon Cathedral to the Upo Police Station Site. This allows a deeper exploration of the pilgrimage trail's significance in the only country that accepted Catholicism without missionaries. Each course is about 3 km long and takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

The newly introduced Jung-gu History and Culture Course is a 6 km 'grand march' through the city, walking from Namsan Baekbeom Square → Deoksugung Palace → Myeongdong → Cheonggyecheon → Gwanghwamun Square → Gyeongbokgung Palace → Cheongwadae over 3 hours. This program is linked to the opening of Cheongwadae and covers history from the Joseon Dynasty to modern and contemporary Korean history in one go.

There is also a non-face-to-face cultural guide walking tour program for tourists who enjoy traveling alone. By downloading the Seoul Jung-gu Smart Tourism Electronic Map app on their smartphones and following the map, visitors can complete the course and receive souvenirs.

Reservations for walking tours with guides can be made through the Jung-gu Office website or the Seoul Public Service Reservation System.

Mayor Kim Gil-seong said, "It was regrettable that we could not enjoy the freedom of travel for a long time due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic," and added, "Starting this March, I strongly recommend taking a special time travel into the city's history to make up for that regret."

Gangbuk-gu to Conduct 2023 Nighttime Joint Urban Safety Patrols

Starting March 9 in Samyang-dong, Identifying Crime-Vulnerable Areas in 13 Neighborhoods for Year-Round Patrols

Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Soon-hee) announced that it will operate nighttime environmental patrols starting March 9, 2023, to prevent various safety accidents that may occur not only during the day but also at night, and to proactively address residents' inconveniences.

This nighttime joint urban safety patrol will expand resident participation through joint patrols by civilians (Volunteer Crime Prevention Unit), the district (Gangbuk-gu), and police (Gangbuk Police Station), providing opportunities to listen to residents' opinions and promptly resolve their inconveniences. Starting with Samyang-dong on March 9, the district plans to identify crime and safety vulnerable areas in 13 neighborhoods and conduct year-round patrols.

They will check the operation status of security systems, streetlights, pedestrian signal lights on the road surface, logo projectors, crime prevention CCTV, and emergency bells, as well as inspect nighttime park inconveniences and locations prone to youth delinquency, striving to ensure residents' safety.

Mayor Lee Soon-hee of Gangbuk-gu emphasized, "We will create a safe Gangbuk-gu through year-round patrols from areas with frequent complaints to crime prevention zones," and added, "We will do our best to create a safe and pleasant urban environment for all residents."

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