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Jongno-gu in Seoul has proposed a coexistence plan for the pojangmacha street area around Jongno 3-ga Station, but merchants are criticizing it as a ‘desk-bound administration’ that does not consider reality. Experts point out that careful policy planning is necessary as this issue is directly related to pedestrian safety.

According to Jongno-gu on the 28th, the ‘Coexistence Street Creation Project’ was scheduled to be implemented starting next month on the 1st. The main point is to designate one lane of the road around Jongno 3-ga Station, famous for its ‘pojangmacha culture’ through social networking services (SNS), as a ‘car-free road’ from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. the next day, moving the pojangmacha from the sidewalks onto the road, and allowing only one row of outdoor tables (Yajang) set up by first-floor restaurants and bars to secure pedestrian passage on the sidewalks.

On the 31st of last month, Jongno-gu held a ‘Coexistence Street Creation Project Resident Briefing Session’ with merchants and building owners in the pojangmacha street area to explain these details to residents.

Around 9 p.m. on the 26th, the scene of the pojangmacha street near Jongno 3-ga Station in Jongno-gu, Seoul. According to the "Coexistence Street Creation Project" announced by the Jongno District Office, first-floor restaurants and bars have placed only one row of tables in front of their stores, securing the walkway.
[Photo by Shim Seong-a]

So far, pedestrian safety issues have been raised due to sidewalks being blocked by indiscriminately installed outdoor tables. As the pojangmacha street gained popularity, complaints about traffic inconvenience caused by outdoor tables have been increasing. From January to March this year, 22 cases were reported, 75 in April, and about 60 in May and June, with an average of about three calls per day. In response, Jongno-gu has taken direct action to secure pedestrian safety in the pojangmacha street.

However, moving the pojangmacha onto the road according to the coexistence plan could increase the risk of collisions between vehicles and the pojangmacha, similar to the accident in September 2020 at the Seomyeon pojangmacha street in Busan, where a drunk driver hit 12 people. At that time, the Busan pojangmacha street was also set up on the road.

Merchants in the pojangmacha street area are expressing dissatisfaction with the coexistence plan. Mr. Yoo Byung-seon (66), who has operated a singing bar in Nakwon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul for 15 years, strongly opposed, saying, “Since my store is in the basement, if the pojangmacha blocks the entrance and signboard, customers won’t come in. This is a matter of survival, so I absolutely cannot allow the installation of pojangmacha in front of the store entrance.”

Mr. Lee Gye-deok (38), who runs a bar on the second floor of a building, criticized, “The district office brought two vehicles of similar size to the location where they planned to install the pojangmacha and conducted a demonstration. The current policy allows illegal table expansion and interferes with the business of building shops.” Mr. Kim Min-su (52) explained, “Buses and trucks also pass through this road. Installing pojangmacha on the road in such a situation inevitably leads to collisions with large vehicles, which is very dangerous.”

A building located near Jongno 3-ga Station in Jongno-gu, Seoul, in the pojangmacha street area. The box marked with a white solid line indicates one of the locations where the Jongno District Office explained they would set up pojangmacha. Merchants explained that if pojangmacha are installed at this location, they would block the building's entrance and signboard.
[Photo by Lee Gye-deok]

In response, a Jongno-gu official said on the 27th, “Originally, the pojangmacha was to be placed on the north lane, but many complaints have arisen. We have decided to renegotiate the placement of the pojangmacha.” Regarding designating only one side of the road as a ‘car-free road,’ the official explained, “We will deploy guides to limit the speed of vehicles passing next to the pojangmacha and make drivers more cautious.”

Experts advise that safety policies should be decided carefully over time. Professor Kim Ui-su of the Department of Safety Engineering at Korea National University of Transportation said, “While securing the pedestrian path reduces the risk to pedestrians, since cars still travel on one side of the road, the risk to people at the pojangmacha has increased. Before implementing safety policies, it is necessary to fully consider what side effects may occur and what cases exist.”