Seoul's Geumcheon-gu completes streetlight upgrade along historic Siheung Palace road

Seoul's Geumcheon-gu announced Thursday that it has completed a streetlight replacement project along Eunhaengnamuro to improve pedestrian safety at night and restore the historic cultural character of the Siheung Palace road corridor.

The completed section runs from 174 Siheungdaero to 6 Geumharo 24-gil — a heavily trafficked residential road and a historic cultural street where various cultural events tied to Siheung Palace, one of the district's most prized historical assets, are held. Siheung Palace was one of the temporary royal lodges of the Joseon Dynasty, associated with King Jeongjo's royal processions to royal tombs. It served as the palace where Jeongjo rested on his way to pay respects at Yungneung, the tomb of his father Crown Prince Jangjo.

The district undertook the project to replace aging lighting infrastructure and create a nighttime streetscape that reflects the area's historical identity.

The work involved replacing 42 streetlight poles, 44 streetlights and 42 pedestrian lights. Two electrical distribution panels were also overhauled to reduce the risk of outages and safety incidents caused by deteriorating equipment.

The project went beyond a simple lighting upgrade by installing cheongsa chorong — traditional Korean lantern-style decorative lights — to evoke the historic atmosphere of the Siheung Palace road.

"We have captured the historical spirit of Siheung Palace, the pride of our district, through the warm glow of cheongsa chorong lanterns," district mayor Choi Gi-chan said. "We hope this stretch will become a new nighttime landmark in Geumcheon-gu, where tradition and modernity come together."