Final Selection of Dongjak Bondon Youth Cafe Name: 'Dongjak Youth Cafe No.1 THE Hangang'

Official Name Confirmed for Han River Youth Cafe Through Resident Contest... From September, Youth Entrepreneurs to Operate Directly... Total Area 227㎡ (B1 to 2F) Featuring ▲Cafe ▲Han River View Deck ▲Photo Zone... 20 Parking Spaces Installed

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Dongjak-gu (Mayor Changwoo Lee) announced on the 30th that the name “Dongjak Youth Cafe No.1 THE Hangang” was finally selected as the result of the naming contest for the tentative “Dongjak Youth Cafe,” a catalyst for creating a cafe culture street in Bondong.

The district held a contest last month targeting Dongjak residents and others to discover a fresh and friendly cafe name that captures the image of “a cafe with a great view of the Hangang River in Seoul.”

“Dongjak Youth Cafe No.1 THE Hangang” was promoted as a catalyst project of the Bondong Urban Regeneration New Deal. It was created by remodeling the old public senior citizens’ center building (Noryangjin-ro 32-gil 29-6), which had been left abandoned for over 10 years.

The total floor area is 227㎡ (basement 1 to ground 2 floors). The first floor houses a cafe and a Hangang viewing deck, and the second floor includes a cafe and a photo zone. To improve cafe accessibility, an additional entrance road will be created along with 20 on-street parking spaces.

Furthermore, true to its youth cafe identity, the operator was selected through a contest targeting young prospective entrepreneurs. Once the interior construction is completed, the cafe is scheduled to officially open in September.

The district plans to develop the Bondong alley area into a local landmark “cafe culture street,” starting with “Dongjak Youth Cafe No.1 THE Hangang.”

For more details regarding the operation of the youth cafe, inquiries can be made to the Economic Promotion Division of Dongjak-gu Office.

Kim Jungwon, head of the Economic Promotion Division, said, “Dongjak Youth Cafe No.1 by the Hangang River is meaningful as it is operated directly by youth, and we hope many residents visit so that it can lay the foundation for opening the 2nd and 3rd branches.”

Since Bondong was selected as an Urban Regeneration New Deal project site by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 2019, a budget of 13 billion KRW has been invested until 2022 to carry out nine catalyst projects under the vision of “River Hill Bondong, a village embracing the Hangang and history.”

This year, along with the establishment of the youth cafe, projects such as ▲completion of a safe alley applying Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), ▲construction of anchor facilities, ▲fostering of village enterprises (CRC), and ▲creation of the Yongyang Bongjeojeong historical and cultural space are also being carried out as planned.