Gwanak-gu Designated as 11th 'Nokdu Alley Shopping District,' Holding the Most Alley Shopping Districts in Seoul

Issue No. 11 'Nokdu Alley Shopping District' Designated... Ranked No. 1 Among Seoul Districts for Alley Shopping Districts
Eligible for Various Supports Comparable to Traditional Markets, Including Onnuri Gift Certificate Handling, Events, and Environmental Improvements

Gwanak-gu (District Mayor Park Jun-hee) has become the district with the most alley-type shopping districts among Seoul's autonomous districts by newly designating the 11th alley-type shopping district.

The newly designated alley-type shopping district is the ‘Nokdu Alley-type Shopping District’ located in Daehak-dong (20, Sillim-ro 11-gil and 24 other lots).

Until now, many commercial areas have been restricted from participating in various support projects promoted by the district and from affiliating with the Onnuri gift certificate system because they were not recognized as traditional markets.

In response, the district revised the 「Ordinance on the Activation Support of Alley-type Shopping Districts in Gwanak-gu, Seoul」 last April, relaxing the ‘designation requirement for alley-type shopping districts’ from a concentration of 30 or more small business stores within 2,000㎡ to 25 or more, enabling the designation of a total of six new alley-type shopping districts this year.

In particular, the ‘Nokdu Alley-type Shopping District’ has been the center of residents' daily life for decades, selling ▲groceries ▲food ▲daily necessities, and has established itself as a hometown and living space for examinees, earning the nickname “Goshi Village.”

Since the abolition of the bar exam in 2015, the number of examinees has sharply declined, and the commercial area has suffered significant stagnation due to COVID-19 and other factors, so the designation as an alley-type shopping district is a welcome opportunity to revitalize the area.

With the new designation of the 11th alley-type shopping district, it can now enjoy support and benefits equivalent to those of traditional markets, including affiliation with the Onnuri gift certificate system.

Meanwhile, since enacting the Ordinance on the Activation Support of Alley-type Shopping Districts in Gwanak-gu, Seoul on December 31, 2020, the district has designated a total of 11 alley-type shopping districts, including the newly added one, such as ▲Miseong-dong Dokkaebi Market ▲Nangok Alley-type Shopping District ▲Gwanak Jungbu Market ▲Gangnam Alley Market ▲Bongridan-gil Alley-type Shopping District ▲Seorim Happy-filled Alley-type Shopping District ▲Bongcheon Dalbit-gil Alley-type Shopping District ▲Namhyeon-dong Artist Village Alley-type Shopping District ▲Nokdu S Valley Alley-type Shopping District ▲Haengundam-gil Alley-type Shopping District, and has been promoting various commercial area revitalization projects.

With the most alley-type shopping districts among Seoul's autonomous districts, the district expects this to be an opportunity to take a step forward in its administrative goals to strengthen the competitiveness of small business owners and revitalize alley commercial areas.

District Mayor Park Jun-hee said, “Despite the difficult economy, I hope that various commercial areas filled with memories in every alley will continue to be maintained to provide convenience and joy to residents,” and added, “We will continue to make every effort to discover alley-type shopping districts and revitalize alley commercial areas.”