Sinwon Ebenezer Plaza, Bangyeri and Ssangmun 2-dong newly designated, bringing total to 8 districts
Seoul's Dobong-gu has designated three new alley shopping districts — Sinwon Ebenezer Plaza, Bangyeri and Ssangmun 2-dong — as part of efforts to revitalize local commercial streets.
The additions bring the total number of designated alley shopping districts in Dobong-gu to eight.
Under a special act on fostering traditional markets and shopping districts, areas with a high concentration of small-business-operated stores can be officially designated as alley shopping districts.
Stores in designated zones become eligible to register as Onnuri gift voucher merchants and participate in a range of commercial revitalization support programs.
Sinwon Ebenezer Plaza, one of the three newly designated districts, is a daily-life commercial area backed by nearby schools and residential neighborhoods. Bangyeri is a distinctive district where the Banghakcheon cultural arts street meets a food alley, while Ssangmun 2-dong sits between Ssangmun Station and Changdong Station in a high-foot-traffic area close to homes and schools.
To bring more alley commercial areas into the formal support system, Dobong-gu amended a related ordinance in July 2025 — the first such revision among Seoul's 25 districts — relaxing the store density requirement for designation from 30 stores within 2,000 square meters to 15.
The district will continue to offer a range of revitalization support programs for the newly designated areas, including merchant capacity-building initiatives and joint business development efforts, to help them take root.
Dobong-gu also plans to keep identifying alley commercial areas with untapped potential and roll out tailored policies for each district, extending its "Dobong Great Transformation" initiative to every corner of the borough.
One merchant in a newly designated district said the recognition felt like "rain after a long drought," adding that running a business had been difficult amid the economic slowdown and sluggish consumer spending. "I hope this brings more residents in and gives the commercial area a chance to come back to life," the merchant said.
Dobong-gu District Mayor Kim Dong-wook said the Dobong Great Transformation is "a process of building the foundations for change, one by one, across the district." He added that the borough would "support alley commercial areas in developing their own character and competitiveness so they can grow, and create economic change that residents and merchants can feel."
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