Gwangju Donggu District Focuses on Preventing Safety Accidents Through Old Signboard Renovation

Exterior view of Gwangju Donggu District Office.

Gwangju Donggu District announced on the 16th that it has recently carried out a project to renovate old signboards in preparation for the rainy season, aiming to prevent safety accidents and create a pleasant urban landscape.

This project involved removing signboards that had been neglected due to business closures or relocations, as well as those that were severely damaged and posed a risk of falling. It was planned to enhance both resident safety and the city’s appearance.

To achieve this, from March for three months, the district conducted a comprehensive survey, accepted applications from building owners, and carried out its own inspections to identify dangerous signboards. With the consent of building owners, a total of 32 signboards were removed. In this project, building owners and store managers were actively encouraged to carry out voluntary maintenance, thereby increasing resident participation.

Within this month, the district plans to conduct a joint public-private safety inspection of outdoor advertisements, targeting 16 locations with dangerous signboards in cooperation with the Gwangju Metropolitan City Outdoor Advertising Association. This inspection will focus on central commercial areas and densely populated regions with heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Depending on the level of risk, follow-up measures will be taken in stages, including immediate correction, reinforcement of safety devices, detailed diagnostics, and the imposition of enforcement fines.

Through these efforts, Donggu District aims to protect residents’ lives and property from natural disasters such as storms and floods, and to actively promote the importance of outdoor advertising safety management, thereby raising safety awareness in the community.

Lim Taek, head of Donggu District Office, stated, "The removal of old signboards and safety inspections will greatly help not only improve the city’s appearance but also prevent safety accidents," adding, "We will continue to renovate neglected and dangerous signboards to do our utmost in creating a pleasant and safe urban environment."