The swimming pool at Yeouido Han River Park. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]
The swimming pool at Yeouido Han River Park. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Thursday it will operate temporary overnight campsites — dubbed "Han River Night Camping" — at Yeouido and Ttukseom Han River parks throughout August. The city plans to use the Han River as the first stage of its nighttime economy revitalization drive under the ninth elected administration, aiming to extend the time residents spend at the parks and bring new energy to surrounding commercial districts.

The city will set up 100 tents each at the lawn in front of the Mulbit Stage at Yeouido Han River Park and at the Hangang Plpl lawn at Ttukseom Han River Park, for a combined capacity of 200 tents. The sites will operate daily from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following morning. Visitors may bring their own four-person shade shelters or tents, or rent them on-site. Consecutive overnight stays and cooking are not permitted. Reservations for Han River Night Camping will be handled through a private platform on a pre-booking basis, and site usage fees will be waived during the pilot period.

The city will also expand its "Night DJ" event — known as Pongdang Music — which had been running on a trial basis at the Yeouido Han River Park swimming pool on the second weekend of July. Starting Friday, the event will be held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Yeouido Han River swimming pool through Aug. 30, with closing time extended from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. At the Nanji water play area, a new "Night DJ" (Pongdang Music) session will launch Aug. 8, running every Saturday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Yeouido and Ttukseom Han River swimming pools, along with the Jamsil and Nanji water play areas, began evening operations on July 3 and will remain open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. through Aug. 30.

A summer edition of the Han River Festival will also be held at Yeouido and Ttukseom Han River parks. Planned events include Han River Night Walk 42K — an all-night walk along the river — a silent DJ party where participants dance to music through wireless headsets, and an outdoor movie screening held beneath a Han River bridge.

A silent DJ party at Han River Park. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]
A silent DJ party at Han River Park. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

The city will also link the campsites to delivery services and nearby commercial areas. Two temporary nighttime delivery zones will be added near the temporary campsites at Yeouido and Ttukseom Han River parks, on top of the six existing delivery zones at Han River parks. The new delivery zones will offer multilingual guidance so foreign visitors can easily find their location and learn how to use the service. Throughout August, a special discount event — the "Seoul Delivery+ Ddaenggyeoyo Han River Delivery Zone" promotion — will run across eight delivery zones at Yeouido, Ttukseom and Mangwon Han River parks. Customers who order food through Seoul Delivery+ Ddaenggyeoyo can receive discounts worth up to 8,000 won. Combined with advance discounts and cashback on Seoul Love Gift Certificates, the savings can be even greater.

Customers who set their pickup location to one of the participating delivery zones in the Ddaenggyeoyo app and place an order of 25,000 won ($17) or more will instantly receive a 3,000-won discount coupon, regardless of payment method. Those who pay 15,000 won or more using Seoul Love Gift Certificates will receive 3,000 won back as delivery-only gift certificates; payments of 25,000 won or more will earn 5,000 won back. When combined with the 3,000-won discount coupon, the total benefit can reach up to 8,000 won.

The city will also run a citizen-led eco-friendly program to address littering. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., an eco-mission promoting the use of reusable containers and proper waste sorting will be held at the Yeouido Han River Park event site. Eco-mileage points earned through the mission can be used like cash for paying Seoul city taxes (ETAX), purchasing Seoul Love and Onuri gift certificates, paying gas bills, covering apartment maintenance fees, or making donations.

Additional closed-circuit television cameras will be installed around the temporary campsites, with a control center monitoring the sites and surrounding areas for safety risks. Lighting along nearby access paths and pedestrian walkways will also be improved to enhance nighttime safety. Han River access paths that had previously served only as transit routes will be transformed into "Han River Arts Passages," where visitors can enjoy performances and exhibitions. Near the Mangwon access path, nighttime street performances — including music, mime and magic acts — in partnership with Rabbit Museum will run from August through November. Around the Ttukseom access path, sculpture exhibitions and street art performances will debut in late August, while the Sebit Island access path will host visual art exhibitions by emerging artists starting in September.

Park Jin-young, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Future Han River Bureau, said the city would "carefully verify the safety and local economic impact of Han River Night Camping and develop the Han River into a representative nighttime economy model for Seoul — one that draws both residents and visitors from around the world, all year round."


cook@heraldcorp.com