Seoul's Jamsugyo Bridge Festival Draws 7.68 Million Visitors in 5 Years... Bridge to Become a "Pedestrian-Only Bridge"

'Car-Free Jamsugyo Bridge Festival' launched in 2022
7.68 million cumulative visitors; 6.6 billion won in sales
Set to become a pedestrian-only bridge... to open in the second half of 2027

A total of 7.68 million people visited Seoul's Jamsugyo Bridge festivals over the past five years. The festivals also helped boost the local economy in partnership with small business owners. The city plans to continue offering a range of programs, including private-sector partnership projects, after Jamsugyo Bridge is converted into a pedestrian-only bridge.

Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on November 4 that it had wrapped up this year's schedule with the conclusion of the 2026 Car-Free Jamsugyo Bridge Ttukbeokttukbeok Festival on October 25. A total of 2.38 million people visited this year's festival, a record high. The daily average was 159,000 visitors, 1.4 times the figure for the previous year and 2.1 times the number in 2022, the festival's inaugural year.

A view of the 2026 Car-Free Jamsugyo Bridge Ttukbeokttukbeok Festival. Seoul Metropolitan Government

Attendance by year was 520,000 across seven events in the second half of 2022; 2 million across 19 events in 2023; 1.5 million across 15 events in 2024; 1.28 million across 11 events in 2025; and 2.38 million across 15 events in 2026.

The economic results generated alongside small business owners were also notable. Cumulative sales over the past four years from paid programs included the popular food truck "Dalbit Sikdang," the handicraft market "Dalbit Sangjeom," and "Seoro Jangteo," a market featuring local farms, reached KRW 6,574,120,000. Annual sales were KRW 1,042,000,000 in 2023, KRW 1,506,000,000 in 2024, KRW 1,447,000,000 in 2025, and KRW 2,507,000,000 in 2026. This year's total sales were particularly strong, reaching a record KRW 2,579,120,000. That was 1.7 times the previous record of KRW 1,506,000,000, set in 2024.

Visitors also reported high levels of satisfaction. Of the respondents, 98.0% said they were satisfied, and 97.5% said they intended to visit the festival again in the future.

With the 2026 festival concluded, Jamsugyo Bridge is entering a new chapter. Since its completion in 1976, the bridge has served as a vehicle-focused crossing connecting southern and northern Seoul by road for 50 years. It will now undergo construction to become a pedestrian-only bridge. Building on the experience of public participation and operational achievements accumulated over the years, the city plans to develop private-sector partnership projects after the pedestrian-only bridge is completed. In the second half of 2027, the city plans to hold festivals every Sunday from September through October in the newly developed cultural space on Jamsugyo Bridge.

"The Jamsugyo Bridge festival has grown into one of Seoul's signature festivals, drawing 7.68 million visitors over five years amid strong interest from residents and tourists," said Park Jinyoung, head of Seoul Metropolitan Government's Future Hangang Headquarters. "We will ensure that the newly transformed cultural space on Jamsugyo Bridge is also embraced as one of Seoul's signature leisure destinations."

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