10 Seoul alleys, streams and parks to become nighttime attractions... Night tourism to revitalize local businesses

[Financial News] Seoul plans to transform 10 hidden spaces across the city, including areas beneath Han River bridges, neighborhood streams and parks, into new nighttime attractions. The goal goes beyond simply installing landscape lighting: it is to keep nighttime visitors around longer and boost spending at nearby local businesses.
Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 3rd that it had selected 10 project sites across 10 districts through the “2026 Seoul Starlight Attractions” competition. It received 27 project proposals from 21 districts in total and made its selections following document reviews and on-site evaluations. It plans to provide up to 1 billion won for each site.
Representative projects include Heukseok Riverside Path in Dongjak District and Baramsan in Seodaemun District. Heukseok Riverside Path will transform a dark space beneath an Olympic-daero bridge into a waterfront attraction where visitors can enjoy views of the Han River and Nodeul Island at night. The project will install media art and landscape lighting on the bridge piers and create rest areas and barrier-free walking paths. The plan is to draw visitors to nearby Heukridan-gil and Heukseok Market.
Baramsan in Changcheon Neighborhood Park, Seodaemun District, behind Sinchon’s bustling commercial area, will be turned into a viewing garden where visitors can enjoy sunsets and city views at night. The existing windmill and observation deck will be refurbished, and landscape lighting installed. The site will be developed as a nighttime tourism route linked to Sinchon’s restaurants, performance venues and other attractions.
Night lighting and photo spots will be installed along the Metasequoia Path on Yangjaecheon in Gangnam District, connecting it with Dogok-dong’s café street. Gwanak District will add light-based attractions and a busking space to Byeolbit Naerincheon, while Seongbuk District will install media glass and landscape lighting at the Breeze Rest Area on Seongbukcheon Stream.
Hwarangdae Railroad Park in Nowon District will get a lighting tunnel and illuminated path using the old railway tracks, while Yongmasan Skywalk in Jungnang-gu will have more rest and photo areas for enjoying the night views. Seokchon Lake in Songpa District will see improvements to its nighttime walking and resting environment, and Baebongsan in Dongdaemun District will be developed with a night-view walking trail linking a forest library and a summit observation deck. Landscape lighting incorporating modern-era buildings will be installed along an approximately 850-meter stretch of Jeongdong-gil in Jung District.
The project is notable as an effort to spread nighttime visitor demand—currently concentrated at established popular tourist destinations—across neighborhoods throughout the city. Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to combine local natural and cultural resources with nighttime attractions to create an environment where residents can spend time and money in their communities after dark.
The projects will be carried out in stages following district-specific detailed plans and administrative procedures. Work in areas requiring reviews related to cultural heritage, for example, will begin after the relevant procedures are completed.
Kim Hyun-woo, head of Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Economic Affairs Office, said, “We will uncover the hidden charms found throughout Seoul so that residents can discover anew the beautiful night views in their own neighborhoods, and ensure that people come and stay at night as well, with that vitality extending to the local economy.”

[email protected] Lee Seol-yeong Reporter