[Interview] Jeong Munheon, Mayor of Jongno-gu: "Promoting Comprehensive Support for Commercial Units Reflecting the Unique Characteristics of Seochon Area's Alley Markets and Regional Branding"

Jongno-gu to Host Jongno Cultural Heritage Night Tour 'From Cheongwadae to Seochon' on 28-29th Experience the Stunning Night Scenery of Cheongwadae and the Unique Night Tour 'West Village Next to Gyeongbokgung'... Establishing a Pedestrian-Centered Tourism Belt Connecting Seochon, Cheongwadae, and Bukchon... Various Measures Under Review to Revitalize Tongin Market and Seochon Commercial Area

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] “The Blue House has been opened to the public, Gwanghwamun Square has been reopened, and the path connecting Changgyeonggung Palace and Jongmyo Shrine has been reconnected after 90 years. As a result, many tourists are coming in, and Jongno is experiencing a significantly changed environment compared to before.”

Jung Moon-heon, Mayor of Jongno District, said in an interview with this publication, “The previously disconnected route from Seochon to the Blue House to Bukchon has been linked, forming one huge cultural tourism belt. This has made it possible to establish a pedestrian-centered tourism belt where tourists can walk around and explore various parts of Jongno.”

If Bukchon symbolizes the lives and culture of the Joseon Dynasty’s aristocratic yangban class, Seochon was a neighborhood where middle-class professionals such as interpreters, medical practitioners, and artists lived together. It is a place where notable figures like Geomjae Jeong Seon, Chusa Kim Jeong-hui, modern painter Lee Jung-seop, poet Yun Dong-ju, and Lee Sang carried out their creative activities.

Jongno District will hold the Jongno Cultural Heritage Night Tour “From the Blue House to Seochon” over two days on the 28th and 29th. This event offers a chance to walk through jewel-like locations throughout Jongno, the home of Korean (Han) culture, and enjoy unique exhibitions and performances with storytelling. The program is the first cultural heritage night tour held against the backdrop of the Blue House, which was opened to the public for the first time in 74 years, focusing on the historical significance of the Blue House as the former rear garden of Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Mayor Jung said, “Participants will feel as if they have traveled back in time to the Joseon Dynasty and become guests invited to the rear garden, experiencing the splendid night scenery of the Blue House and the uniquely colored night tour ‘West Village next to Gyeongbokgung Palace.’” Additionally, through media art and daegeum (bamboo flute) performances held at the Jongno-gu Park No-soo Art Museum located in Seochon, visitors can deeply appreciate the atmosphere of the art museum and the cultural heritage night tour.

Jongno District expects this night tour program, held at the Blue House opened to citizens for the first time in 74 years and Seochon, the center of middle-class culture during the Joseon Dynasty, to provide an opportunity to enjoy Jongno’s long history and culture.

Jongno District is preparing plans to enable tourists to walk and explore various parts of Jongno, including Seochon, Gyeongbokgung Palace, and Suseongdong Valley, by utilizing hiking trails leading to Bukaksan Mountain, centered around the cultural tourism belt.

Additionally, Jongno District is reviewing various measures to revitalize Tongin Market and the Seochon commercial area.

Seochon covers a total area of 582,297 square meters, including the administrative neighborhoods of Cheongunhyoja-dong and Sajik-dong, and has 3,485 stores.

To revitalize the commercial area in Seochon, Jongno District plans to establish a governance system involving merchants, commercial area analysis experts, local residents, and Jongno District itself. This system will promote comprehensive support for commercial units reflecting the unique characteristics of Seochon’s alleyway commercial areas and regional branding. The district also aims to continuously nurture local small business owners to strengthen Seochon’s self-sustaining capabilities.

Moreover, the district plans to link Tongin Market, Seochon’s representative market, with cultural and tourism resources, develop content that highlights the market’s characteristics, and foster it as a leading market in the region through facility modernization projects and support for delivery services.

Alongside this, there is also a plan to revitalize residential areas in Seochon. Seochon is a representative area in Seoul densely packed with historical and cultural assets. Jongno District intends to improve the living environment by promoting regional revitalization projects targeting the Seochon area.

Mayor Jung said, “Seochon has many old hanok (traditional Korean houses) and other houses, but due to various regulations and issues, only temporary major repairs are currently being carried out. Local residents have requested support for repairs of old wooden houses, and some residents have expressed opinions favoring development rather than preservation. There are also requests to maintain neglected vacant lots and empty houses that cause slum-like conditions in the area.”

Jongno District plans to prioritize expanding living infrastructure such as rest areas and parking lots, support repairs of old houses, and improve poor street environments.

Mayor Jung Moon-heon said, “We plan to improve differentiated housing maintenance by hanok and non-hanok zones and the landscape design guidelines, regularly survey local residents’ opinions, and discuss with Seoul City and others. We will also strive to ease and readjust district unit plan regulations.”