Seocho-gu, 194 Illegal and Old Signs in Doguro Area Renovated

108 New LED Signs Installed
3,960 Old and Damaged Signs Renovated Since 2009

Seocho-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) announced on the 14th that it has renovated 194 illegal and outdated signs at 46 businesses within a 1.2km area from Doguro Entrance Samgeori to Dwitbeol Children's Park and newly installed 108 LED signs to improve the walking environment on school routes and revitalize the local economy.

Signboard maintenance using tools. Provided by Seocho-gu.

The sign improvement project involves removing illegally installed and old or damaged signs and installing energy-saving LED signs with sophisticated designs reflecting the characteristics of the street. Since 2009, the district has promoted this project and has completed the renovation of 3,960 old and damaged signs and the installation of new LED signs across 29 sections.

This Doguro area sign improvement project was a public-private partnership carried out based on voluntary participation and cooperation from residents and merchants after the district selected the target area, announced the pilot maintenance zone, formed the Sign Improvement Project Residents' Committee, and reviewed it through the Seocho-gu Outdoor Advertising Deliberation Committee early last year. The district fully supported the costs of the sign improvement project for business owners wishing to participate and invited design experts to provide customized sign design plans with an urban and modern style that highlights each store's unique characteristics.

The project area, Doguro, is one of the commercial and densely residential areas in the Bangbae district of Seocho-gu. It serves as a school route for students of Bangbae Elementary School, Isu Middle School, and Seomun Girls' High School, and is located near Dwitbeol Children's Park, a place with high foot traffic. However, illegally installed signs threatened pedestrian safety and impaired the urban landscape, making sign maintenance urgently needed in this section.

Through this project, 194 signs in the Doguro area were removed, and one LED sign was newly installed per store for 108 stores, reducing the number of signs to 56% of the original. The removal of illegal and disorderly signs has significantly improved the urban landscape. Additionally, to prevent light pollution, nighttime luminance was lowered to below 300 cd/㎡, and energy-efficient LED lighting and outdoor waterproof materials were used, which is expected to greatly help prevent pedestrian safety accidents on school routes.

The district reports that this project resulted in a reduction of 134 tons of greenhouse gas emissions last year and estimates a total reduction of 39,000 tons over 15 years since 2009. This is equivalent to the greenhouse gas reduction effect of planting 5.88 million 30-year-old pine trees over an area four times the size of Yeouido. Generally, one 30-year-old pine tree reduces 6.6 kg of greenhouse gases, and 141 pine trees are needed to reduce one ton of greenhouse gases.

Mayor Jeon Seong-su said, “Removing illegally installed and outdated signs has not only created a safe walking environment for children, our future assets, but also served as an opportunity to improve the city’s image. We will continue to promote the sign improvement project for a clean and beautiful Seocho created together by residents and merchants.”