Revitalizing Yongsan-gu Itaewon Commercial Area... Starting with a Clean Campaign

On the 20th, a major cleaning and disinfection event at the old military discharge site... 500 residents and merchants participate... About 100 merchants from the Itaewon Tourism Special Zone Association also join

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “Let’s create a clean Itaewon and a clean Yongsan together.”

On the 20th, a large-scale cleaning and disinfection event took place throughout Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun), with 500 residents and merchants participating.

The purpose was to alleviate the tense atmosphere caused by COVID-19 and revitalize the local commercial district.

In particular, in Itaewon 1-dong, about 100 merchants belonging to the Itaewon Tourism Special Zone Association (President Maeng Ki-hoon) participated, disinfecting the streets, shops, and public facilities throughout Itaewon. They mainly wiped down shop entrances and cleaned multi-use facilities such as bus stops.

Maeng Ki-hoon (56), the president, said, “The Itaewon COVID-19 incident that occurred during the recent golden holiday completely froze the local commercial district. We will regularly hold disinfection events under the association’s leadership and be reborn as ‘Clean Itaewon.’”

Several foreigners who run businesses in Itaewon also attended the event. Additionally, Kang Won-rae, a singer formerly of the group Clon who runs a bar here, participated in a wheelchair, drawing attention. Many young people working in Itaewon also took part, boosting the atmosphere.

Kim Hyun-jong (35), who participated in the event, said, “I didn’t expect so many merchants to come out. We will work together with the association to renew Itaewon’s image and attract more visitors back to Itaewon.”

The association plans to continue disinfection events once a week. Especially in the third week, a ‘Clean Itaewon Declaration Ceremony’ is scheduled.

The district is putting all its efforts into revitalizing the local commercial districts, including Itaewon, together with merchants and residents.

First, from May 25th for about a month, applications for ‘survival funds’ will be accepted from self-employed people affected by COVID-19, and cash support worth approximately 1.4 million KRW will be provided over two months in July and August.

Also, the district will continue to provide loans at the nation’s lowest interest rate (0.8%) to small and youth enterprises in the area.

To stimulate consumption, an additional 2 billion KRW worth of Yongsan Love Gift Certificates was issued on the 20th. The discount rate is 10%, but it will drop to 7% starting in July. The gift certificates can be purchased via the Beeple Zero Pay, Check Pay, and Money Tree apps and can be used at Zero Pay affiliated stores in the area.

The district also strives for efficiency in financial execution. When making private contracts, local companies are prioritized, and the number of contracts per company is limited to ensure fairness.

Additionally, budget areas with large amounts such as facility costs, service fees, and asset acquisition costs are prioritized for execution, and large-scale projects exceeding 3 billion KRW are closely monitored to prevent delays.

The specialized street development projects in areas such as Gyeongridan-gil, Itaewon, and Hannam-dong will also be completed promptly. Cultural tourism facilities like the Yongsan Craft Center and local events such as the Itaewon Global Village Festival will be operated more effectively to attract more visitors to Yongsan after COVID-19.

District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun said, “On the 20th, a special crisis response disinfection was carried out throughout the district. Now, we will focus on revitalizing the local commercial districts.”

The district also completed a full investigation from the 8th to the 17th of visitors to Itaewon entertainment facilities known to have been visited by confirmed cases during the recent golden holiday period.

The targeted establishments were 11 places including King Club (club), Trunk (pub), Queen (pub), Soho (pub), Him (pub), Made (club), Pink Elephant (pub), The Fountain (pub), Pistil (pub), Sulpan (pub), and All (pub). The number increased from the initial 3 to 11.

Working with Seoul City and the police, the district used all methods including guestbooks, credit card usage records, companion investigations, and comparison with base station connection lists. Among 12,200 confirmed visitors, 10,806 (88.6%) were advised to refrain from going out and to get tested for COVID-19.

As of 4 p.m. on the 20th, the number of diagnostic tests related to Itaewon clubs reached 5,125 in Yongsan alone and 60,000 nationwide. The district believes that most visitors have already been tested across the country.