Seoul moves to allow large third-party ads on factory building walls

Factory buildings in Seoul will be allowed to display large third-party advertisements on their exterior walls under a proposed amendment to city regulations. The change would extend a permission previously limited to commercial-zone buildings to industrial-zone buildings as well.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Sunday that it has pre-announced the legislative bill — a partial amendment to the city ordinance governing outdoor advertising management and the promotion of the outdoor advertising industry — and will accept public comments through June 24.

Third-party advertisements promote products or services unrelated to the businesses or building owners at a given site; large commercial ads displayed on building facades are the most common example. Current regulations permit such ads only on buildings in commercial zones.

The amendment expands that permission to buildings in industrial zones. Factories and ancillary structures outside designated urban areas would also be treated as industrial-zone buildings and covered by the new rules. The Seoul Metropolitan Government expects the change to help revitalize local commercial activity by opening industrial areas and the surroundings of industrial facilities to large wall-mounted advertising.

However, the amendment sets a ceiling on ad size. Within designated zones, wall-mounted signage may not exceed half the area of the wall on which it is displayed, with an absolute maximum of 2,000 square meters. Exceptions may be granted through review by the city's deliberation committee when a structure is recognized for its urban symbolic value, architectural scale, or creative design elements.

The amendment also codifies for the first time a formal procedure for revoking designated ad zones — an area critics had long flagged as unclear. Going forward, revocation will require consulting the relevant district mayor, gathering public input through an official administrative notice period, and obtaining approval from the city's deliberation committee.

The amendment reflects changes to the enforcement decree of the Outdoor Advertising Act revised last December, and its final content may change depending on the outcomes of the city's ordinance and rules deliberation committee review and Seoul Metropolitan Council deliberations.