People watch a movie at an outdoor cinema beneath a Han River bridge.SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT
A Seoul resident leaves home in southern Seoul’s Jamsil in the evening, takes the Hangang Bus ferry to Yeouido, rents a Ttareungi public bicycle and cycles along the river, then enjoys a swim alongside a live DJ performance at a riverside pool. After ordering dinner through the city's public food delivery app, they then watcha movie beneath a Han River bridge and camp overnight near Mulbit Stage at Yeouido Hangang Park.
The itinerary is hypothetical, but it illustrates how Seoul envisions residents making use of its new nighttime economy project.
The city announced on Thursday that it has selected the Han River as the first site for its nighttime economy initiative, a flagship policy aimed at linking culture, tourism, commercial districts and transportation to turn nighttime hours into a new engine of economic growth.
"The Han River attracts large numbers of visitors and already offers a wide range of cultural and leisure infrastructure, making it an ideal place to demonstrate the potential of the nighttime economy," a Seoul Metropolitan Government official said.
As part of the project, the city will open temporary campgrounds at Hangang parks throughout August under a program called "Han River Bamping" — a combination of the Korean “bam,” which means "night," and "camping."
The campgrounds will feature 200 tent sites, with 100 each at Yeouido and Ttukseom Hangang parks. Visitors may bring their own four-person tents or sun shelters or rent one on-site. The campsites will be free with advance reservations, but cooking and consecutive overnight stays will not be permitted.
People enjoy a nighttime swim at the Yeouido Hangang Park swimming pool in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul.SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT
The city will also expand nighttime entertainment around Hangang Park swimming pools.
A pilot nighttime DJ program at Yeouido Hangang swimming pool in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, will run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Aug. 30 until 9 p.m. A similar program will debut at Nanji Hangang Park water playground in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Aug. 8 and continue every Saturday evening.
To encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more in surrounding neighborhoods, Seoul is expanding its food delivery infrastructure. In addition to six existing delivery pickup zones, two temporary nighttime delivery zones will be installed near the temporary campgrounds at Yeouido and Ttukseom Hangang parks.
Visitors who order through Seoul's public food delivery platform, Ddangyo, during August will receive discounts worth up to 8,000 won ($5.45).
The city will also provide information on 21 nearby traditional markets and neighborhood shopping streets around Yeouido, Ttukseom and Mangwon Hangang parks near the delivery zones to encourage visitors to explore local businesses beyond the riverfront.
For safety, the government said it will be installing additional security cameras around the temporary campgrounds, increasing monitoring and improving lighting at nearby underpasses and pedestrian walkways.
People enjoy a silent DJ party beneath a bridge over the Han River.SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT
Several underpasses leading to the river will also be transformed into cultural spaces. From August through November, near Mangwon Underpass in Mapo District, western Seoul, nighttime street performances featuring music, mime and magic will be hosted. Around Ttukseom Underpass in Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, sculpture exhibitions and street art performances will be showcased beginning in late August, while Sebitseom Underpass in Seocho District, southern Seoul, will exhibit works by emerging visual artists starting in September.
The city plans to evaluate the nighttime economy project's effectiveness using objective data before expanding the program, rather than treating the initiative as a one-off event. Officials will analyze visitor satisfaction, the number of domestic and international nighttime visitors, average length of stay and changes in sales at nearby businesses to determine whether to expand the temporary campgrounds and develop a broader Seoul-style nighttime economy model.
"The key to this project is organically connecting transportation, leisure, culture, food and camping experiences to increase both the amount of time people spend at the Han River and their overall consumption," Park Jin-young, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Future Hangang Project Headquarters, said. "Our goal is to build a Seoul-style nighttime economy model that naturally extends from the Han River to nearby traditional markets and neighborhood commercial districts."
BY MOON HEE-CHUL [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
