Seoul Mayor Oh visits book fair, Namsan festival and youth facility in post-election weekend outreach

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon spent his first weekend after winning the local elections visiting a series of cultural and leisure events across the city, engaging directly with residents at each stop.

On Sunday afternoon, Oh toured the 2026 Seoul International Book Fair at COEX in Gangnam-gu, stopping by the "Munjeuksijae" booth — jointly operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Library and Shinhan Bank — as well as booths run by major publishers, where he met with visitors.

The Seoul International Book Fair, the country's largest book festival, ran from June 24 through Sunday. This year's edition centered on the theme "The Power of Questions," offering a range of exhibitions and programs exploring the value of reading and reflection.

The Seoul Metropolitan Library participated in the fair for the second consecutive year, presenting the special "Munjeuksijae" exhibition, which highlights the ability to ask questions as a distinctly human strength in the age of AI, alongside the value of reading. The booth also introduced key Seoul Metropolitan Government reading-culture initiatives, including the Seoul Outdoor Library and the "Hip-dok Club."

Oh tried out a personality quiz titled "What Is Your Question?", a vault-themed experience called "Sunday — Your Asset," a curated question bookshelf and a reading-room installation before visiting the France guest-of-honor booth and stops for Gimmyoungsa, YES24 and the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

"Through reading-culture programs such as the Seoul Outdoor Library and the Hip-dok Club, which operate at Seoul Plaza, Gwanghwamun Square and Cheonggyecheon, we will expand our offerings further so that every resident can keep books close and build the assets of a richer life," Oh said.

Earlier on Saturday morning, Oh attended the 2026 Namsan Summer Festival at Baekbeom Plaza on Namsan in Jung-gu, joining about 1,000 residents in a group stretching session before walking the "Namsan Fun & Walk" route from Baekbeom Plaza to the northern circular road.

The venue featured a "Fun Zone" with a mini water-gun area, a pinwheel zone and a dance zone, as well as a "Cool Zone" offering a large ice shelter, a water-fog zone and an Arisu beverage station, giving visitors a range of midsummer experiences.

"The Namsan revitalization project, which we have been pursuing since 2009, has consistently expanded the spaces residents can enjoy," Oh said. "We will use next year's Seoul International Garden Expo on Namsan as an opportunity to further expand green and recreational spaces."

Later on Saturday afternoon, Oh attended the opening ceremony of Jump, a Nowon-gu district-run adventure theme park, to mark the facility's launch.

Jump is a multi-activity complex aimed at children and teenagers, offering a range of indoor recreational activities including a sky glider, an artificial climbing wall, a jungle gym and FPS laser tag.

After receiving a certificate of appreciation from representatives of local children and youth, Oh toured the main activity areas. "Creating spaces where children can play freely and take on challenges is an investment in Seoul's future," he said. "We will also build one Seoul-style kids cafe in every administrative neighborhood so that both parents and children can be happy — making Seoul a great place to raise a child."

Oh's weekend schedule focused on sharing his vision for city governance by visiting key Seoul Metropolitan Government policy sites in person — spanning the promotion of reading culture, residents' health and the creation of experiential spaces for the next generation.