Are the Red Handmade Shoes Hanging on the Pillar at Seongsu Station Real?

[Seoul District News] Realistic Red Shoes and Brown Tone Neat Dress Shoes Trick Art Hung on Seongsu Station Pillar to Become a Unique Space for Future Events and Performances... Yangcheon-gu Distributes Free Paper Cup Holders to Local Small Business Coffee Shops... [Photo] Gangnam-gu Hosts Urban Rice Planting Experience Event... Geumcheon-gu Conducts Rice Planting Experience at Anyangcheon Ecological Rice Paddy

Citizens capturing ‘trick art’ that looks lifelike

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The red high heels and brown-toned polished dress shoes hanging on the pillar at Seongsu Station in Seongdong-gu are catching the eyes of passersby.

Although the two large pairs of shoes appear to be placed on the pillar shelves, upon closer inspection, they are actually paintings of shoes drawn so realistically that they look genuine.

This month, Seongdong-gu painted images of handmade shoes on the pillars inside Seongsu Station on Line 2. The dazzling red high heels adorned with crystal cubic and pearls, positioned near the exit with heavy foot traffic, are placed side by side with the glossy dress shoes, instantly signaling that this is the gateway to Seongsu-dong, a renowned handmade shoe district.

The lifelike paintings were created using the ‘Trick Art’ technique. Trick Art, an art form that uses light refraction, reflection, shading, and perspective, expresses 2D flat paintings with a 3D-like sense of depth.

By evoking a sense of vividness for viewers, Trick Art works are already popular not only domestically but also in major cities overseas, attracting urban travelers with their unique appearance.

At the end of last year, the district opened the ‘Industrial Culture Complex Theme Space’ inside Seongsu Station, showcasing the industry and culture of Seongsu-dong. This month, it is recruiting tenants for the Seongsu Handmade Shoes joint sales stores located at Seongsu and Ttukseom Stations, stretching to revive its historic status as a ‘handmade shoe city.’

In particular, the Trick Art works aim to provide enjoyment and freshness to visitors using the station. This place, where people can naturally take photos while appreciating the artwork, is expected to attract the interest of the younger generation who frequent Seongsu-dong and become a popular photo zone spot visited at least once by anyone using Seongsu Station, according to district officials.

As Seongsu-dong rises as Seoul’s representative center for industry, culture, and arts, Seongdong-gu is growing not only in the handmade shoe industry but also as a city of industry, culture, and arts where youth and artists collaborate with the local community. The district plans to actively utilize the Seongsu Industrial Culture Complex Theme Space, which sees many subway users.

Over the past two years, events and performances such as flea markets and pop-up stores, which were halted due to COVID-19, will be actively held again to provide cultural content and entertainment. This will support local small business owners who have faced difficulties by helping them develop sales channels and actively promote regional economic revitalization.

Yangcheon-gu announced that it will produce and distribute ‘Soso-han Walking’ paper cup holders to effectively promote health promotion projects and support local small business owners.

Last year, as a pilot project, the district distributed promotional paper cup holders to 10 small business coffee shops near workplace-dense areas (3 in Sinwol area, 3 in Sinjeong area, 4 in Mokdong area), receiving great responses from both residents and small business coffee shop operators.

This project produces promotional materials for walking in daily life using QR codes on paper cup holders (1,000 copies) and distributes them free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis to small business coffee shops in the area.

Through this, the district naturally promotes health information to residents visiting coffee shops, while coffee shops benefit from reduced production costs by using the freely distributed cup holders, achieving a win-win effect.

Scanning the QR code on the distributed paper cup holders with a smartphone connects users to the Kakao Channel ‘Soso-han Walking,’ jointly operated by Seoul City and 25 autonomous districts, allowing participation in various non-face-to-face walking challenges.

Small business coffee shop owners wishing to receive the promotional paper cup holders can apply by phone to the local health department by the 30th. However, franchise businesses are excluded from distribution, and since support is on a first-come, first-served basis, supplies may run out early.

A local health department official said, “Through this ‘valuable good promotional activity’ done together by the public and private sectors, we hope to support local small business owners and share useful health information with residents. We encourage many small business owners interested in this cup holder production project to apply.”

On the 20th, Gangnam-gu held the ‘Traditional Rice Planting Experience at Yangjaecheon in the City’ event at the Yangjaecheon Rice Farming Learning Center (right bank of Yeongdong 4 Bridge embankment).

Marking its 20th year, about 200 participants, including children aged 6 to 7 from the Little Farmer School, planted rice seedlings by hand in a 1,730㎡ paddy field, placing rows and planting each seedling one by one.

The Little Farmer School is one of the ecological stream experience programs operated by Gangnam-gu around Yangjaecheon.

Park Gi-seon, head of the Parks and Greenery Division, said, “The rice planted today using eco-friendly farming methods will be delivered to neighbors in need.”

Geumcheon-gu will open the Anyangcheon Ecological Rice Paddy on the mornings of the 26th, 27th, and 31st and hold traditional rice planting events.

Geumcheon-gu has created ecological rice paddies of 300㎡ and 200㎡ respectively next to the Anyangcheon Lower Riverside Footbridge (340-2 Gasan-dong right bank) and inside the Anyangcheon Urban Agriculture Experience Center (719-5 Doksan-dong left bank).

During the event, local daycare centers, families (individuals), and elderly living alone will be invited to enjoy various experiences such as ecological education, mud experiences, traditional Korean folk music performances, rice planting, and loach catching.

Institutions and families (individuals) wishing to participate can apply from May 20 to 23 through the Geumcheon-gu website under ‘Integrated Reservation - Other Reservations.’ Elderly living alone will be recommended by each neighborhood.

Baek Nam-hyun, head of the Parks and Greenery Division, said, “For residents who rarely encounter rural landscapes in daily life, this rice planting experience will be a special opportunity. We hope it will be a time to understand the production process of crops and the hard work of farmers and to feel gratitude.”