Oh Se-hoon, the Seoul mayor, said on the 15th that "the night economy is not simply support for neighborhood commercial districts; it is Seoul's new growth strategy that consolidates culture and tourism, commercial districts and transportation into one ecosystem to change citizens' leisure culture and boost the city's spending and vitality."
On this day, Oh held the first regular executives' meeting since the launch of the 9th popularly elected administration and stated accordingly.
The core agenda of the meeting is the "night economy revitalization plan," a new growth strategy for Seoul. It is the first step to fully push the night economy initiative that Oh presented in the inaugural address as a key task across city governance.
Revitalizing the night economy is the flagship strategy of the 9th popularly elected administration to organically link tourism, culture, commercial districts, and transportation and create a new growth engine for Seoul. The city plans to spread the spending of the growing number of foreign tourists to neighborhood commercial districts and breathe vitality into the downtown that empties after work, building "Seoul, a global city alive 24 hours."
Seoul boasts world-class nighttime attractions such as the Han River, DDP, and Namsan, but the consolidation that would channel the vibrancy of these spaces into spending in surrounding commercial districts and activation of the local economy is still considered insufficient. Since COVID-19, the nighttime spending trend has been shifting rapidly from alcohol-centered to culture- and experience-centered, but the content and institutional support to back this up are also lacking.
In fact, closures of entertainment-oriented commercial facilities that represented traditional nighttime culture—such as karaoke rooms and makeshift bars—are increasing. Meanwhile, demand is surging for complex cultural spaces and wellness content, making an overall restructuring of night-economy infrastructure urgent.
The city of Seoul will pursue the night economy not as a policy to simply increase nighttime spending, but as a new urban growth strategy that consolidates culture and tourism, commercial districts and transportation into a single economic ecosystem. The plan is to turn Seoul's nights into spaces where citizens stay longer and enjoy more, and link this to the local economy to raise global competitiveness.
First, to foster the "yajang" culture, which is spreading mainly among younger generations, as a core content of local night economies, the city will develop "Seoul Moonlight Yajang" into Seoul's representative night-economy brand. It will also provide institutional support for this.
Recently, demand for outdoor dining has increased around Jongno 3-ga and Euljiro, and yajang has become a major draw for commercial districts. However, conflicts between merchants and residents have continued due to noise, trash, and pedestrian inconvenience. In response, the city plans to shift its policy direction from crackdown-centered management to a coexistence model managed within the institutional framework.
Focusing on areas where pedestrian safety is secured, the city will support revisions to local government ordinances to allow legal road use and outdoor business operations. It also plans to prepare standard guidelines covering sidewalk width, business hours, and hygiene rules. Based on this, the city will pilot "Seoul Moonlight Yajang," which meets strict hygiene and safety standards, at five sites this year and expand it to a total of 25 sites by 2028.
For Moonlight Yajang commercial districts, the city is reviewing providing up to 2 billion won to improve the pedestrian environment, expand hygiene facilities, and brand the districts, and offering additional incentives of up to 500 million won based on operating performance.
Oh said, "The night economy is not a task for any single department; it is Seoul's new growth strategy that is completed only when culture and tourism, transportation, and economic policy move together," adding, "We will ensure it takes firm root as a flagship policy that changes citizens' lives and strengthens Seoul's competitiveness."