Transforming Pungnap-dong into a Beautiful and Safe Place Even at Night

Songpa-gu Creates Nightscape Around Pungnap-dong Earthen Fortress East Wall... Lighting Ceremony on the Night of the 30th
Offering 1km of 'Light' Attractions Including Hanseong Baekje Design Lighting
Steady Improvement of Residential Environment for Residents... Becoming a Night Tourism Spot Along with Moonlight Walkway

Songpa-gu (District Mayor Seo Gang-seok) announced on the 2nd that it has enhanced the nightscape of Pungnap-dong Earthen Fortress, transforming Pungnap-dong into a beautiful and safe place even at night.

The "Pungnap-dong Earthen Fortress" is a historic site presumed to be the first royal fortress from the Baekje Hanseong capital period. It stretches in a long oval shape from north to south across Pungnap 1-dong and 2-dong in Songpa-gu. To protect this cultural heritage, various regulations such as building restrictions are applied around the fortress area.

Accordingly, the district is working hard on residential environment improvement projects to resolve issues such as property rights damage to Pungnap-dong residents and regional slum deterioration.

The "Pungnap-dong Earthen Fortress Nightscape Project" is a plan to install landscape lighting reflecting local characteristics on the fortress to make Pungnap-dong a popular destination for both residents and visitors. The project will be carried out in two phases by the end of this year.

The recently completed area is the first phase, covering 1 km from the entrance of the Namseong Wall to the vicinity of the Dongseong Wall. Although this area is well-maintained and frequently used as a walking trail by many residents, there was a lack of landscape lighting illuminating the fortress, which caused safety concerns and a shortage of attractions.

The district installed LED floodlights at 6-meter intervals along this section to create a subtle and sophisticated fortress landscape that harmonizes with the cultural heritage. Additionally, solar-powered step lights were added to the Namseong Wall observatory and stairs to ensure residents' safety, and bollard lights engraved with Baekje sumaksae (roof tile) patterns and content lighting using the unique Hanseong Baekje design of Pungnap-dong were installed at the entrance to emphasize the fortress's identity.

The second phase covers the area from the Seoseong Wall to the Namseong and Bukseong Walls and is scheduled to be completed by December this year.

The lighting will operate flexibly from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. during the summer season (March to October) and from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. during the winter season (November to February).

About 200 residents attended the lighting ceremony held on the night of the 30th of last month. Resident Kim Young-ae said, "I often take evening walks along the Moonlight Trail created last year, and now I am glad to enjoy the beautiful night scenery as well. I think it will also become a popular night date spot for couples."

The Moonlight Trail is a walking path where visitors can experience the history of Hanseong Baekje. Created through the residential environment improvement project, it stretches 2 km along the Pungnap Earthen Fortress in three sections, offering various stories about Baekje kings and culture.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, "Cultural heritage should not suffocate residents' lives but coexist and breathe together to have true meaning. We will continue the residential environment improvement projects so that visitors come and the area regains vitality."