Seoul Jung-gu Eases Building Regulations in 'Myeongdong Square' Area to Revitalize Business

Designation of Myeongdong Square Special Street Zone
Exemption from Building Line and Setback Regulations for Outdoor Advertisements

Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Gil-seong) is easing building regulations in the ‘Myeongdong Square’ area. As a result, this area is expected to rapidly emerge as a hub for digital media content.

Special Price District Map. Provided by Jung-gu.

The Myeongdong Tourism Special Zone was designated as the 2nd Outdoor Advertising Free Display Zone in December 2023, allowing freedom in the shape, size, color, and installation methods of outdoor advertisements. The district branded this zone as ‘Myeongdong Square’ and began full-scale development of a media space.

However, unexpected obstacles arose during the project implementation. According to the Building Act, outdoor advertisements over 4 meters in height are classified as ‘structures’ and are subject to building line and setback regulations within the site.

The building line is designated to be set back 3 meters from the road boundary line, and the setback within the site must be 1 to 3 meters away from the road and adjacent site boundaries. Consequently, some outdoor advertisements classified as structures were unable to be installed due to these regulations.

To resolve this, the district designated the Myeongdong Square area (Chungmuro 1-ga 52-5 area, 147,754㎡) as a ‘Special Street Zone,’ exempting outdoor advertisements within the zone from Article 46 (Designation of Building Lines) Paragraph 2 and Article 58 (Setbacks within the Site) of the Building Act. This allowed the installation of large-scale media that would have otherwise been delayed due to infringement of existing building line and setback regulations to proceed smoothly.

On the 27th of last month, the district held a meeting with Myeongdong Square member companies to explain the designation of the Special Street Zone and discuss development directions. Key corporate representatives from Lotte Department Store, Shinsegae Department Store, Hana Bank, Kyowon Property, and Nowin Myeongdong attended the meeting. The district plans to actively collaborate with Seoul City to ease building permit regulations and ensure smooth installation of outdoor advertisements in the Myeongdong Square area going forward.

Mayor Kim Gil-seong emphasized, “Through this regulatory relaxation, Myeongdong Square has become more competitive,” adding, “We will continue to provide unwavering support so that Myeongdong Square can establish itself as a dynamic street exhibition representing Korea and a world-class media landmark.”

Myeongdong Square aims to complete the first phase of the project by the end of this year. Starting with the Kyowon Building in June, large-scale media installations at Hana Bank, Shinsegae Department Store’s new building in October, and Lotte Young Plaza in November will be completed sequentially.

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