Seoul stays up late: Han River parks, observatories extend nighttime hours

Seoul is staying up past its bedtime. The city is expanding nighttime activities across all 11 Han River parks and keeping three observatories open late as it looks to turn longer nights out into a boost for local businesses.

The nighttime hours and amenities at Han River parks will be extended starting this month, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday.

The initiative follows last month’s nighttime camping program held at Yeouido and Ttukseom Han River parks, located in western and central Seoul, respectively.

The expansion is also a part of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s flagship push to invigorate the city’s night economy.

The temporary camping program, dubbed “Han River Night Camping,” allows visitors to camp at Han River parks at night.

The program will now be expanded to all 11 Han River parks in Seoul. Hours for sun shelters, which previously had to be taken down by 7 p.m., will be extended until 10 p.m. so visitors can spend more time by the river at night.

The city will also add one designated sun shelter area each at Gwangnaru, Jamsil, Ttukseom and Yanghwa Han River parks. That will increase the total number of designated areas from 16 to 20.

Food delivery pickup spots will also be expanded. Previously available at six locations in Yeouido, Ttukseom and Mangwon Han River parks, they will now be available at 17 locations across all 11 parks, including Gwangnaru, Jamsil, Jamwon, Banpo, Ichon, Yanghwa, Nanji and Gangseo.

To accommodate more visitors after dark, the city will install 14 additional lights and 12 surveillance cameras at 10 locations, along with enhanced nighttime patrols and garbage collection.

The decision comes after the numbers have demonstrated that the after-hours efforts have been pushing up nearby businesses. 

Credit card spending at some 57,000 businesses around the three pilot sites jumped 5.9 percent on year to 349.2 billion won ($255.5 million) from Aug. 1 to Aug. 21. Spending by foreign cardholders grew even more sharply, recording a 40.3 percent jump, or 14.9 billion won rise, from 36.9 billion won to 51.8 billion won over the same period.

Average daily nighttime foot traffic in the same areas also surged 66 percent, from 56,000 people to 93,000.

“Han River Night Camping has turned the river into a place where people can relax and have fun from day to night,” Park Jin-young, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Future Hangang Project Headquarters, said. “We’ll expand nighttime attractions and facilities that people can really enjoy and make the Han River a hub of the night economy that brings more business to surrounding neighborhoods.”

The city is also looking beyond the river as it expands its night economy initiative.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the same day that three city-run observatories will open at night starting this month: the Sky Observatory on the eighth and ninth floors of Seoul City Hall in Jung District, central Seoul; the Jeong-dong Observatory on the 13th floor of the Seoul City Hall Seosomun Building in Jung District; and the outdoor patio on the fifth floor of the Seoul Metropolitan Library in Jung District.

The Sky Observatory, previously open only until 6 p.m. on weekdays, will stay open until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. More than 66,000 people visited the observatory during the eight weeks from July 6, when it first opened, through August.

The Jeong-dong Observatory, which previously operated until 5:30 p.m. from Monday through Saturday, will also remain open until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

The city expanded the Jeong-dong Observatory through renovations last year. Its viewing area nearly tripled from 117 square meters to 322 square meters (1,260 square feet to 3,466 square feet).

The outdoor patio area at the top floor of Seoul Metropolitan Library will remain open until 9 p.m. on weekdays and 6 p.m. on weekends.

After reviewing the results of this year’s trial, the city plans to pursue nighttime openings six days a week from 2027.

“We will continue to expand Seoul’s nighttime attractions,” Kwak Jong-bin, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's administrative bureau, said.

BY MOON HEE-CHUL [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]