Seoul's Jung-gu district, led by District Mayor Kim Gil-sung, has installed floor-level wayfinding signs in the underground passage connecting Sindang Station to Sinjeung-ang Market to help visitors navigate the route without confusion.
The district also carried out a sweeping cleanup of the market environment ahead of the summer season.
On July 16, the district attached 11 signs at key points along the path from Sindang Station's underground passage to Sinjeung-ang Market. Since the passage opened last December, visitors have been able to travel indoors from the station's basement level through Sindang Underground Shopping Center to the market regardless of weather. However, residents and merchants had consistently raised concerns that first-time visitors would struggle to find their way to the market.
In response, the district placed signs at the six floor locations and five stairwell walls where visitors most frequently lost their bearings. Sign placement took into account resident feedback, foot-traffic patterns, visibility and pedestrian safety, and all signs include English text for foreign visitors.
Residents welcomed the change. "I didn't realize how much I needed them until they were there — it's so much easier now," one resident said. Merchants at Sinjeung-ang Market also expressed optimism, saying the bilingual signs would make it easier for foreign tourists to find the market on their own.
The district also addressed sanitation. On Thursday, it held the 12th Sinjeung-ang Market Clean Day, clearing obstructions, hosing down the premises and spraying effective microorganism solution as part of stepped-up summer hygiene management.
Sinjeung-ang Market was selected as a site for the Seoul Metropolitan Government's 2023 Design Innovation Traditional Market Development Project and is undergoing broader revitalization. Jung-gu plans to continue holding Clean Day on the fourth Thursday of every month and to consistently improve the market's environment and visitor convenience by actively incorporating feedback from merchants and residents.
"A traditional market needs to be clean and convenient — as well as distinctive — if people are going to come back," District Mayor Kim said. "We will continue to listen carefully to merchants and residents as we work to make Sinjeung-ang Market more appealing."
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