Songpa-gu to Hold 'Outdoor Advertising Special Training' on August 29...Only Seoul District Offering Customized Education Reflecting Local Characteristics
From Detailed Legal Applications to Sharing Major Complaints
Discussion on Improving Increasing Illegal Advertisements...First Communication Meeting Between District and Private Sector
Airlights dancing on the streets, pole signs standing tall at the edge of sidewalks, and protruding electronic billboards capturing attention late at night. These common sights in daily life have recently been identified as illegal advertisements frequently detected in Songpa-gu (District Mayor Seo Gang-seok).
Although the district is conducting sign improvement projects and on-site inspections, eradicating illegal advertisements remains a challenging task.
Complaints from residents are also increasing. In the first half of this year, there were 2,580 complaints about illegal advertisements, an increase of 417 compared to 2,163 during the same period last year.
In response, the district held a special training session on August 29th for outdoor advertising businesses in the area to proactively prevent illegal advertisements. This was the first such session organized by a local government.
Outdoor advertising businesses are required to attend mandatory training conducted annually by the Seoul Outdoor Advertising Association. However, that training had limitations in applying laws tailored to local characteristics.
In this training, the district focused on cases of illegal advertisements specific to the region.
Particularly, given the area's characteristics consisting only of commercial and residential zones, the session shared common cases of illegal advertisements frequently found in academies, hospitals, and restaurants, and provided detailed guidance on legal standards and mandatory requirements.
Additionally, the training addressed major resident complaints such as light pollution caused by the recent increase in electronic billboards and inconvenience in pedestrian traffic due to illegal pole signs. Advertisers were urged to actively inform clients about illegal issues during the initial inquiry process to prevent the installation of non-compliant advertisements.
About 100 outdoor advertising business operators from Songpa-gu attended the training. There was also time to hear candid opinions from attendees. Many participants expressed practical difficulties such as customer loss if only legal standards are strictly enforced, and requested the district office’s active inspections and support to ensure exemplary business owners do not suffer losses.
Building on this training, the district plans to create ongoing communication opportunities to foster a cooperative environment with outdoor advertising businesses and work closely to improve the urban landscape.
District Mayor Seo Gang-seok stated, “Improving the urban landscape plays a crucial role in enhancing the value of the city,” and added, “Starting with the nation’s first ordinance banning banners with hateful, defamatory, or insulting phrases, we will create a well-organized city free of illegal advertisements and complete Songpa-gu as a premium city that is pleasant to live in.”
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