Samcheongje 1 Public Parking Lot with 178 Spaces Opens
Jung Moonheon, Mayor of Jongno-gu: "We Will Do Our Best to Secure More Spaces Whenever Possible"
"It was really difficult to build this parking lot, but it became possible thanks to the support of related organizations and local residents. As Jongno is an old city center, parking facilities are truly lacking. We will continue to do our best to secure more parking spaces by finding every possible location in the future." (Jung Moonheon, Mayor of Jongno-gu)
A large public parking lot with 178 spaces has opened in a neighborhood that suffers from the most severe parking shortages in central Seoul. On May 9, Jongno-gu, Seoul, opened the 'Samcheongje 1 Public Parking Lot' to address the chronic parking shortage in the Samcheong-dong and Bukchon areas.
A large public parking lot with 178 spaces has opened in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Provided by Jongno-gu.
This parking lot, created by utilizing idle land in the area, consists of two underground levels and has a total floor area of 5,706 square meters. It is equipped with parking spaces for people with disabilities, electric vehicle charging stations, a parking management system, CCTV and other safety facilities, as well as restrooms and other amenities. Both a resident-priority parking system and hourly parking are operated in parallel, so local residents and visitors alike no longer have to wander in search of parking spaces as they did in the past.
At the completion ceremony held at the site on the afternoon of May 8, Jung Moonheon, Mayor of Jongno-gu, stated, "Until now, the Samcheong-dong area has suffered from chronic inconvenience due to a lack of parking spaces, traffic congestion, and related safety issues." He added, "With the completion of this parking lot, a longstanding wish has finally been fulfilled." Mayor Jung also said, "Establishing a public parking lot is not just about securing parking spaces; it is an important opportunity to improve local traffic conditions, revitalize the local commercial district, and create a safer and more pleasant urban environment."
Samcheong-dong and Bukchon are areas where cultural facilities such as art museums and museums, commercial facilities, and residential areas are mixed, resulting in a large floating population. However, the lack of parking spaces has caused inconvenience for both residents and visitors. In particular, the narrow alleys have made it difficult for fire trucks to enter, and safety concerns have been continuously raised.
Jongno-gu, located in the city center, has an overall parking space supply rate of 85.4%, meaning there are only 85.4 parking spaces per 100 vehicles?far below the Seoul city average of 106.9%. In particular, the Gaheo-dong area, which makes up most of Samcheong-dong and Bukchon and is densely populated with hanok houses, has parking supply rates of 60.8% and 59.1%, respectively, which are the lowest in Jongno-gu except for Jongno 1~6-ga.
However, building parking lots is not a simple task. Even for the Samcheongje 1 Public Parking Lot, it took over five years from the signing of the business agreement to the completion of construction, with a budget of 27.7 billion won invested.
Meanwhile, Jongno-gu has devoted significant effort to creating public parking lots over the past few years and is about to complete several more. Around August this year, the Changsin Sodam Public Parking Lot in Changsin-dong (176 spaces) and the Okindong Public Parking Lot in Seochon (90 spaces) will open, and in March next year, the Sinyoung-dong Public Parking Lot (14 spaces) will open. Construction has also begun on the Buam-dong Public Parking Lot (116 spaces), which is scheduled to open in 2028.
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