Jung-gu Myeongdong Namdaemun and Others to Create 'Walkable Streets'

Myeongdong, Namdaemun, Dongdaemun, and other crowded areas prepare to welcome increased tourists by improving pedestrian environments

Strict crackdown on unauthorized storage, street vendors, illegal advertisements, and waste threatening pedestrian safety

Repair of damaged roads and urban aesthetics improvement projects to create safe and pleasant streets

Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Gil-seong) is organizing the pedestrian environment to create more walkable streets.

Since June, the district has been cracking down on objects threatening pedestrian safety such as unauthorized storage, street vendors, advertisements, waste, and illegally parked vehicles in areas including Bukchang-dong, Namdaemun, Myeongdong, and Dongdaemun.

The crackdown is being carried out by five departments until the end of the year, with intensive inspections of violations planned until the end of August to prepare for the increasing number of visitors, including Chinese tourists.

Prior to enforcement, the district visited merchant associations and store owners to guide voluntary cleanup. The crackdown is not a one-time action; repeated violations are rechecked, and fines, enforcement charges are imposed, along with forced removal.

As of August 4, 446 out of 574 targeted cases have been inspected, achieving a 77.7% cleanup rate. Particularly for stored items, street vendors, and outdoor advertisements, about 16,000 guidance cases, 383 voluntary cleanup requests, 37 forced removals, and fines totaling 9 million KRW were strongly enforced.

Repair work on damaged roads and facilities is also underway. Since May, sidewalk paving and anti-slip construction have been ongoing in densely crowded areas such as Myeongdong, Namsan Park, and Seoul Station.

Additionally, once sidewalk and asphalt repaving and crosswalk curb lowering are completed, safer and more comfortable sidewalks will be created.

Urban environment improvement projects such as repainting road markings, installing facilities to prevent illegal advertisements, designated banner posting stands, and installing a media wall in Bukchang-dong are also scheduled to be completed in the second half of the year.

The pedestrian and street environment improvement projects are being implemented by five departments with a total budget of 3.6 billion KRW, carrying out 56 projects, with 35 completed as of August 4, reaching a progress rate of 63%.

Going forward, street shops or stalls that do not cooperate with voluntary cleanup will face strong administrative actions such as permit cancellations and administrative enforcement through a penalty point accumulation system. In September, a joint public-private-police street maintenance campaign will be conducted, and continuous management will be maintained to prevent repeated violations.

Kim Gil-seong, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, “There are many areas in Jung-gu where crowds such as tourists gather. We will create safe and pleasant streets so that more visitors can stay with peace of mind.”

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