A Livable City, Does It Have to Be Fun? ... Expert's Answer [Nojam City]

[Nojaem, Searching for the Fun in the City]
<5> What Creates the Fun in a City
Questions Raised by the 'Nojaem City' Controversy
Local Experts Answer
"Chance Elements Are Needed to Escape Nojaem... Fun Must Be Infused into Local and Alley Markets"

Editor's NoteAre you familiar with so-called 'No-Jam Cities,' meaning boring cities? These are cities lacking things to do, see, or enjoy, where locals feel bored and people from other regions do not visit. Since 2019, the term 'No-Jam City' has been used on social media to describe various cities. What started as a kind of meme for fun has led local governments in places like Daejeon, Ulsan, Gwangju, and Cheongju to launch 'Fun City Creation Projects.' Are cities labeled 'No-Jam' really dull and boring? What makes a city fun? We want to reflect on the places and spaces where we live.

Is it enough for a city to be livable, or must it be fun? Will following Seoul make a city fun? What makes a city enjoyable?

The debate over boring cities, or so-called 'No-Jam Cities,' which rapidly spread online in 2019, raises various questions for us living in this era. To find answers, we met experts who have pondered the fun aspect of cities: Professor Mo Jong-rin, Director of the Graduate School of International Studies at Yonsei University and 'Alleyway Economist'; Professor Lee Hoon, Director of the Tourism Research Institute at Hanyang University; Senior Researcher Joo Hye-jin at the Daejeon-Sejong Research Institute; Researcher Kwak Min-jae at the Ecohology Education Center; and Lee Chang-gil, CEO of the Incheon Gaehangro Project. The experts emphasized that as the standard of living rises in South Korea, more people seek fun, and cities that are not uniform but have elements of chance can create diverse fun experiences.

Livable Cities Alone Are Not Enough... Now Is the Era of Seeking Fun

The four cities of Daejeon, Ulsan, Gwangju, and Cheongju, which are promoting the 'Fun City Creation Project,' are livable cities. Yet, they have been stigmatized as boring cities, and local experts point to changes in the times. They explain that beyond everyday convenience, it has become necessary to create incidental fun that alleviates boredom and monotony in life.

Lee Hoon, Director of the Hanyang University Tourism Research Institute (Professor of the Department of Tourism), is being interviewed at Hanyang University in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang aymsdream@

"Being livable means the city has a well-established foundation. Usually, when we think of a livable city, it includes jobs and education but not fun. Once a basic standard of living is met, people start to pursue a life of fun. I believe that as per capita income rises, interest in pursuing a fun life will increase." - Professor Lee Hoon

"As times change, human desires diversify. In the past, as long as food, clothing, and shelter were secured, there were no problems. But as life becomes more advanced, those desires change and increase. In the process of self-realization or pursuing higher values, fun, life satisfaction, and quality of life become connected. Although the value of fun is abstract, it ultimately acts as a reason 'why one should live in this area.'" - Researcher Kwak Min-jae

Minjae Kwak, Researcher at the Eco-Hillogy Education Center

"Fun basically means unpredictability, chance, and stimulating the five senses. Predictable and obvious things are not fun. If you look at neighborhood shops, they are all independent. They hide in alleys, appear and disappear. Walking around the neighborhood is so changeable that discovering things is fun. The opposite of fun is predictable convenience. This is why (in terms of fun) department stores cannot beat neighborhoods." - Professor Mo Jong-rin

Is Seoul the Standard? Local Is the Answer

Just as the saying goes, 'No matter which way you go, as long as you get to Seoul,' many domestic cities trying to embed fun elements tend to imitate Seoul. There is criticism that Seoul, as the political, economic, social, and cultural center of Korea, is regarded as the standard for 'cool' and 'beautiful,' leading to uniform copying of Seoul. Experts shout that only by leveraging local uniqueness can fun be created, emphasizing that 'local is the answer.'

"Like the O-ri-dan-gil trend, provinces are busy imitating and benchmarking Seoul. They live in an era of local extinction due to population outflow and shortage. While benchmarking Seoul, they are culturally disappearing. They think that if they put something similar to what succeeded in Seoul, it will basically sell, so it keeps becoming similar. But in reality, isn't it that the brands developed by themselves (in their own regions) survive longer?" - Senior Researcher Joo Hye-jin

'Economist of Alleyways' Professor Mo Jong-rin, Graduate School of International Studies, Yonsei University / Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

"I define 'fun cities' as those with strong local characteristics. The neighborhood itself must be attractive. Only then is it sustainable. Even cities involved in the No-Jam City debate have local culture or unique points. Successful cases like Yangyang, Jeju, Gyeongju, Jeonju, and Gangneung have entire old downtowns turned into tourist destinations. The main driver is the alley commercial district. Neighborhood shops, local creators, so to speak. These creative and unique shops have settled and revived the neighborhood." - Professor Mo Jong-rin

"We live in an era where copying is easy. If someone wants, they can easily replicate what I made, but people do not want copied places. The reason people go to local areas is because they are different from Seoul. Creating strong local uniqueness will create reasons to visit that area. Such uniqueness cannot be copied. It is important for the government (local authorities) to support those who create these unique features." - CEO Lee Chang-gil

Local branding expert CEO Chang-gil Lee is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the Incheon Open Port Headquarters. Photo by Yongjun Cho jun21@

Diversity and Openness Make Cities Fun

Experts emphasize that to become a 'fun' city with local uniqueness, it is necessary to have diversity and openness in the region. Considering that the value of fun exists in various types and categories, diversity and openness must be the foundation to build multi-dimensional fun in a city.

"Cities with openness and diversity will be the most fun cities. When people say 'copying Seoul,' I think it is because Seoul is considered the most open and diverse place in Korea, and thus fun. Fun comes in many types: ▲pleasant, stable, and comfortable ▲happier and more joyful states ▲enthusiastic and explosive fun, etc. I believe a city should allow people to enjoy these various types of fun. To do so, cities must consider what programs, places, and fun to create." - Professor Lee Hoon

Joo Hye-jin, senior researcher at the Daejeon Sejong Institute and author of "Why Daejeon Became a Boring City," is being interviewed by Asia Economy in her office at the institute. Photo by Heo Young-han

"I think attempts to layer fun and policies supporting them create fun cities. If there is a large commercial festival, the city should also support other things that balance it out or support various cultures. While landmarks must be created, if small things are neglected or treated as nonexistent, the city truly disappears. Seoul is also a city of diversity, but if it continues this way, only Jongno or Gangnam will remain, and the rest will become the same. If such small fun in human life disappears, isn't that a lack of 'real' fun?" - Senior Researcher Joo Hye-jin

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