[Reporter’s Notebook] Surprising Discoveries in So-Called No-Fun Cities

Is "No-fun City" Really No Fun?
Exploring the Origins and Realities Behind the Meme

The meme "No-fun city" originated from a netizen's comment about having nowhere to take a friend visiting Daejeon. As this spread on social networking services (SNS), more places, including Daejeon, were labeled as no-fun cities. The media treated this as an interesting gossip topic. However, the social phenomena embedded in the name and perception of no-fun cities were overlooked. This project began from a sense of regret for consuming the no-fun city meme merely as entertainment and a sense of responsibility to correct it.

Is there really no fun element at all in no-fun cities? Since they are still large cities, there must be something, right? So, we decided to visit representative no-fun cities: Daejeon, Ulsan, Gwangju, and Cheongju. These four cities were the most frequently mentioned as no-fun cities on big data platforms. However, questions followed: "How do you define fun or no fun?" and "More importantly, what exactly is 'fun'?" We began to ponder what should be considered fun and how to identify and track the essence of fun. The notes taken to concretize the plan amount to 180 pages of A4 paper.

Except for Gwangju, it was our first visit to the cities, but expectations were not high. Although there are seemingly attractive tourist spots like Daejeon-Hanbat Arboretum, Ulsan-Taehwa River National Garden, Gwangju-Mudeungsan, and Cheongju-Cheongnamdae, these were not particularly appealing to young tourists. Without this coverage, we might hardly have had the chance to visit.

However, during the reporting process, we realized that such thoughts were close to ignorance from the perspective of "people from Seoul." Visiting various tourist spots that we thought would not appeal to young people gave us a completely different impression. For example, the Bangudae Petroglyphs in Ulsan, which are about to be announced as a UNESCO World Heritage site, left a lasting impression. The petroglyphs record life with whales since prehistoric times, and the depiction of a mother whale carrying her calf changed Ulsan’s image from an industrial city to a historical city. A senior reporter who accompanied us, addicted to the "Dreamdori worldview" after getting married and establishing a family, is eager to visit Daejeon again.

What is even more interesting is that the residents of these cities showed high satisfaction with their region. Some locals even empathized with the no-fun city meme, which could have been seen as unfair. This was because they had high hopes that the meme would lead to further development of their cities. Behind the term no-fun city lies the residents’ desire to inject vitality into their regions and their affection for their cities. Some even argued that the no-fun city meme plays a positive role in promoting the city. Certain local experts claim that the no-fun city meme itself has become a new attraction for regional tourism and should be utilized as a regional brand. Therefore, the conclusion is that what no-fun cities lack is not "fun."

The lifespan of a meme is short, and repeated humor no longer entertains. This is why the no-fun city meme is showing signs of decline. To prevent only bitterness from remaining among local residents after the meme fades, swift action is necessary. The biggest problem of no-fun cities is not that the city lacks fun, but that fun has not yet been discovered or, even if discovered, has not been properly showcased. It is up to local governments to consider how to brand and distribute the city's fun.

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