"Gwanghwamun to Become a Global Media Art Hub"... Jongno District Launches Non-Profit 'Gwanghwamun Square'

by Kim Minjin

Published 29 Apr.2026 11:02(KST)

Jongno District in Seoul (District Mayor Jeong Moonheun) announced on April 29 that it will officially launch an organizational foundation to transform the Gwanghwamun area into a global hub for media art.

On April 28, the district held the inaugural general meeting for the non-profit corporation "Gwanghwamun Square" in the district office's planning situation room, establishing a systematic operational foundation for the project. This move transitions the existing public-private joint consultative body into an official organization, and is expected to mark a turning point for stable platform operations.

In March, citizens watched the BTS special film being broadcast at Gwanghwamun Square. Courtesy of Jongno-gu.

The "Gwanghwamun Square Project," designated as a Free Sign Zone (Phase 2) by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, aims to transform approximately 221,815 square meters encompassing Gwanghwamun Square and Sejong-daero into a massive media art canvas by installing state-of-the-art digital advertising displays on the exteriors of large buildings throughout the area. To date, electronic billboards have been installed at four key locations: Koreana Hotel (K Vision), KT WEST (KT Square), Dong-A Ilbo (Luux), and Saekwang Building (Lume Media). Additional displays are planned to be installed sequentially within the year at locations such as Dajeong Building and Kyobo Life Building.

Jongno District has designated this year as the first year of project completion and intends to focus its administrative resources on strengthening the operational capability of the "Gwanghwamun Square Media Platform (GMP)."

District Mayor Jeong Moonheun stated, "Gwanghwamun Square is a K-media art hub that best embodies the history and culture of Korea in a modern way," adding, "We will also prepare so that the Red Devils' World Cup cheering event in June can be presented as a distinctive urban performance."