Seocho-gu Seorae Village 'Paris 15th District Park' Urban Cultural Space Renovation Completed

Gazebo, parks, bollards, and other European-style landscape facilities filled... Actively introducing French-related cultural content to establish the identity of Seorae Village

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] There is one more reason to visit Seorae Village in Seocho-gu, Seoul, known as the "Little France."

Seocho-gu (Mayor Eunhee Cho) has renovated the existing Seorae Village Paris 15th District Park (formerly Ginkgo Tree Park) into an "urban cultural space" to enhance the village's attraction and activate shared spaces for both domestic and foreign residents.

The Ginkgo Tree Park, once a small village square, was renamed Paris 15th District Park in 2016 through an agreement with the Paris 15th District. However, its landscape and usage were not much different from a typical park, leading to criticism that its identity was ambiguous. This is why Seocho-gu launched a project to make Seorae Village a landmark and activate shared spaces for residents, both Korean and foreign.

Seocho-gu first installed movable tables and rest areas in the park to allow residents to enjoy free gatherings. Thanks to this, the park has transformed into a space where anyone can relax comfortably. A European-style gazebo, symbolizing the park, was installed to evoke the atmosphere of a small European park.

Especially around Christmas, visitors can enjoy a special atmosphere as Seorae Village is decorated like a European Christmas street.

Since the 30th of last month, Seocho-gu has erected a large Christmas tree and photo zone in the park, and installed Christmas banners on 44 classic street lamps along Seorae-ro.

Seorae Village is home to about 500 foreigners, including around 300 French residents. Its French-style exotic scenery and the presence of famous celebrities once made it a rising commercial area.

However, with the influx of franchise stores, the area became bland and unremarkable, and the commercial district began to decline due to the economic downturn since 2016.

Seocho-gu conducted surveys and briefings targeting foreign residents and locals, concluding that European-style streets and cultural content are necessary to revitalize Seorae Village.

Last year, the district started ongoing development and revitalization projects by installing "Colonel Morris (Promotion Gallery)," a representative French symbol, at the village entrance. In May, it was selected for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's "Infrastructure Development for Areas with High Concentrations of Foreign Residents" contest, enabling more advanced village improvement projects.

Starting next year, Seocho-gu will develop cultural content utilizing local infrastructure such as the French Cultural Center in Korea and the Seoul French School to create Seorae Village as a themed cultural street with diverse attractions.

△ Regular busking performances of chanson and jazz △ Encouraging the formation of a merchants' association △ Expanding facilities through the enlargement of Seorae Village public parking lot will enhance the cultural and infrastructure vitality of Seorae Village.

Mayor Eunhee Cho said, "We will restore the reputation of the only French village in Seoul and make Seorae Village a nationally renowned landmark."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.