The district will run focused measures across six areas — safety, traffic, lifestyle, prices, community sharing and public discipline — from Wednesday through Monday
A 24-hour emergency operations center, facility inspections and intensive crowd-management patrols in Seongsu-dong will anchor the safety effort
Seoul's Seongdong-gu has designated the six-day period from Wednesday through Monday as its 2026 Chuseok comprehensive response period, rolling out detailed measures across six areas — safety, traffic, lifestyle, prices, community sharing and public discipline — so residents can enjoy a safe and warm holiday.
To minimize safety gaps during the Chuseok holiday, the district will operate a round-the-clock disaster and safety operations center and conduct advance inspections of roads, construction sites, cut slopes, retaining walls and high-traffic public spaces. A flood and storm disaster response headquarters will also be activated to prepare for extreme rainfall driven by abnormal weather patterns, with intensive monitoring of flood-prone households, regular surveillance of high-risk areas and preemptive controls in place to ensure rapid response and recovery in emergencies.
Particular attention will be paid to preventing sudden crowd crushes in Seongsu-dong, a neighborhood dense with pop-up stores that draws large numbers of domestic and international visitors. The district will deploy intensive patrols during peak hours and establish a coordinated support framework with relevant agencies for proactive accident prevention.
An emergency medical operations center will also run throughout the holiday to ensure residents can access care when they need it. The district will publicize clinics and holiday-duty pharmacies that remain open and maintain coordination with university hospitals and emergency medical institutions in the area to minimize inconvenience.
Lifestyle measures will help residents enjoy a clean and convenient holiday. Neighborhood-led community cleanups will take place before the holiday, and residents will receive advance guidance on designated waste disposal dates. Parking enforcement around traditional markets and shopping streets will be adjusted flexibly based on traffic conditions, and three public on-street parking lots — near the Korea Electric Power Corp. substation, in front of Exit 3 of Seongsu Station and at the KT Corp. Seongsu branch — totaling 166 spaces will be opened free of charge for visitors and residents.
The district will also look after neighbors who need extra care during the holiday. Meal support — including dosirak and side-dish sets — will be provided to senior citizens, children at risk of skipping meals and people with disabilities. Before the holiday, the district will inspect the living conditions of residents in semi-basement units, rooftop rooms and gosiwon. "Intensive welfare check days" will be held around the holiday period to confirm the wellbeing and health of vulnerable residents, minimizing gaps in care.
Measures to ease the financial burden of holiday shopping and energize the local economy are also in place. A special price-monitoring operations center will track price trends for agricultural, livestock and daily essential goods, and reports of hoarding, price-fixing and other unfair trade practices will be accepted and processed. On Tuesday, the district issued 15 billion won ($10.9 million) in Seongdong Love Gift Certificates, and 13 traditional markets in the district will hold Chuseok events — including Onnuri gift certificate giveaways and prize draws — to boost the local economy and reduce shoppers' costs.
To help residents enjoy cultural activities close to home during the holiday, the district will keep the Seongdong Chaengmaru library on the first floor of the district office and smart libraries inside subway stations open, along with some sports facilities — including the Salgoji baseball field, soccer field and park golf course — except on Chuseok day itself. Operating hours for veterinary clinics and sports facilities open during the holiday can be found on the Seongdong-gu district office website.
"We will carefully manage sector-by-sector measures covering safety, medical care, traffic and everyday convenience so that all residents can enjoy a safe and comfortable Chuseok holiday," District Mayor Yoo Bo-hwa said. "We will make every effort to create a warm holiday by attentively checking on neighbors who need care and ensuring the spirit of sharing reaches every corner of the community."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
