Improvement of Pedestrian Environment in Itaewon Tourism Special Zone, Yongsan-gu

From this month until October... 830 million KRW invested

16 sections selected through joint city-district investigation, 7 sections through district’s own survey

Part of safety accident prevention measures in densely crowded areas

Yongsan-gu is promoting the ‘Itaewon Tourism Special Zone Pedestrian Environment Improvement Project’ as part of safety accident prevention measures in densely crowded areas.

The district plans to complete the pedestrian environment improvement in the Itaewon Tourism Special Zone by October, investing 830 million KRW in the project.

In November last year, the district conducted two rounds of comprehensive surveys on densely crowded areas jointly with the city. Sixteen sections with structural issues or aging were selected as project sites. An additional seven sections were added through the district’s own survey.

A district official stated, “The backstreets where the October 29 tragedy occurred are in good condition and thus excluded from this maintenance project,” adding, “They will be refurbished if defects occur in the future.”

The maintenance sections are located northwest of Itaewon Station (6 sections), southwest of Itaewon Station (6 sections), Bogwang-dong (2 sections), west side of Hannam-dong Community Service Center (6 sections), and near the Hannam-dong cafe street (3 sections).

The total construction volume includes ▲road resurfacing (44a) ▲sidewalk and curb maintenance (515m) ▲anti-slip pavement (12a) ▲staircase reinstallation (7 locations), among others.

The district selected a contractor on the 8th and will start construction within this month. Pedestrian safety assistants will also be deployed during construction to ensure safe passage and minimize inconvenience to residents.

Kim Seonsu, Acting Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “Itaewon has been a traditional tourist destination, gaining attention as a shopping spot for foreign tourists ahead of the 1988 Seoul Olympics,” adding, “By refurbishing the narrow alleys located behind Itaewon-ro, it will be reborn as a safe tourism special zone.”

The Itaewon Tourism Special Zone covers a 1.4 km area from the entrance of Itaewon-ro to Hangangjin Station on Subway Line 6. It was designated as Seoul’s first tourism special zone on September 29, 1997. Starting with the ‘Itaewon Tourism Special Zone World Cup Festival’ in 2002, the ‘Itaewon Global Village Festival’ has been held every October. Last year, the number of tourists visiting Itaewon during the festival period reached one million.

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