A cultural efficiency takes place on a street-stage setup in Itaewon, Seoul, as a part of a local-brand industrial district revitalization program on this undated picture. Courtesy of Yongsan District Workplace
Itaewon has seen a pointy rise in guests this 12 months, a pattern pushed partially by Yongsan District’s effort to revive the realm’s local-brand industrial district.
In accordance with the Yongsan District Workplace on Friday, the initiative is now getting into its remaining stage and has begun to ship tangible outcomes.
The variety of home guests climbed from 1.25 million final 12 months to 1.3 million as of November. International vacationer arrivals additionally exceeded 250,000, up from 240,000 a 12 months earlier.
Famed as Seoul’s worldwide nightlife district, Itaewon suffered a extreme downturn after a significant cluster of COVID-19 circumstances was linked to its golf equipment in Could 2020. The federal government responded with monthslong bans on gatherings at leisure venues and the ensuing collapse in weekend crowds and retail gross sales left the neighborhood’s service economic system deeply scarred, with widespread vacancies in what had as soon as been a bustling district.
Chosen in 2023 as a Seoul Metropolitan Authorities’s public help program, the revitalization mission was launched to help Itaewon’s industrial district after the 2022 crowd crush that killed 159 individuals throughout Halloween celebrations within the space.
As a part of the initiative, the district developed a brand new district model identification, “Welcome All Itaewon,” designed to replicate the neighborhood’s distinctive character. It additionally hosted cultural performances, pop-up shops and group packages alongside Quy Nhon avenue and within the Noksapyeong Sq. space to strengthen the district’s cultural attraction.
In July of final 12 months, the district shaped a nonprofit group referred to as the “Itaewon Governance,” bringing collectively retailers, residents and native artists.
The Itaewon industrial district help physique plans to offer capacity-building coaching to governance members by way of the tip of the 12 months. Starting subsequent 12 months, the governance group will take the lead in driving private-sector–led revitalization initiatives.
“I sincerely thank the retailers and native stakeholders who labored with us to beat this troublesome interval and restore Itaewon’s distinctive worth,” stated Yongsan District Mayor Park Hee-young. “We’ll proceed supporting Itaewon’s progress into considered one of Seoul’s most globally engaging industrial districts.”
