Picking Up Coins and Bathing at Cheonggyecheon... Seoul City Moves to Impose Fines

Fines to Be Imposed for Disorderly Conduct
Surveillance Increased with Fixed Patrol Assignments

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will conduct intensive crackdowns on disorderly conduct at Cheonggyecheon, such as picking up coins or bathing in public. In particular, the city will deploy monitoring personnel and prepare an institutional framework for imposing fines.

According to Seoul City on July 30, one patrol officer will be assigned to key areas where unauthorized coin collection has occurred, such as Palseokdam at Cheonggyecheon, and to the area near Gosanja Bridge where riverbank bathing has been reported, in order to strengthen surveillance.

Seoul Cheonggyecheon Area. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Currently, 40 facility safety officers from the Seoul Facilities Corporation take turns patrolling the entire 8.12-kilometer stretch of Cheonggyecheon. Additionally, to enhance guidance for visitors, the city has installed banners and signs at six additional locations to inform people about the prohibition of entering the stream, bathing, smoking, and drinking alcohol.

In particular, Seoul plans to revise relevant laws and ordinances to supplement its current guidance-focused management system, aiming to establish a structure that links prevention, on-site intervention, and post-violation penalties. In cases where current regulations lack the authority to impose sanctions, the city will amend ordinances to specify prohibited conduct and standards for enforcement, as well as establish practical grounds for imposing fines and other penalties.

Starting next month, the city will carry out the "Creating a Mature Cheonggyecheon Use Culture Campaign" to raise awareness of prohibited activities and promote usage guidelines. Considering that many foreign tourists visit this area, Seoul will also inform travel agencies and the tourism industry about rules for Cheonggyecheon and launch multilingual publicity efforts.

Recently, videos have been posted on social media showing middle-aged men and women entering the water at Cheonggyecheon to collect coins thrown in by visitors for making wishes. Another widely criticized video captured a middle-aged woman washing herself with bathing supplies along the Cheonggyecheon stream bank.

Jung Seongguk, Director of the Water Circulation Safety Office at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, "Cheonggyecheon is a key leisure space in Seoul for both residents and domestic and international tourists, and a minority engaging in illegal or nuisance behaviors should not inconvenience the majority of users. In addition to assigning dedicated personnel to problem areas, we will swiftly establish effective sanctions such as fines to ensure a pleasant and safe environment for everyone at Cheonggyecheon."

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