Seoul mayor inspects 'Han River Camping' ahead of Saturday launch, calls it new growth engine

Seoul's new nightlife is set to begin on the Han River. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Friday that it will open "Han River Camping" — a portmanteau of "night" and "camping" — at Yeouido and Ttukseom Hangang Park on Saturday, the first project under Mayor Oh Se-hoon's push to revitalize the city's nighttime economy. Oh visited the site Friday to mark the launch.

Han River Camping is a temporary urban campground where residents can spend the night taking in the Han River's nighttime scenery. More than a simple tent-pitching event, it is designed as the starting point of a "24-hour stay" model — one where visitors swim, enjoy performances and festivals, sample food delivered by app or sourced from nearby traditional markets, and then settle in for the night.

The city plans to connect the Han River's existing assets — transportation, leisure, water activities, performances, films, food and camping — into a single itinerary that extends how long residents and tourists linger. The goal is to let the energy and spending generated at the river ripple outward to traditional markets and neighborhood commercial districts, forming what the city calls a Seoul-style nighttime economy.

Han River Camping will run daily from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following morning throughout August — on the lawn in front of the Mulbit Stage at Yeouido Hangang Park and on the Hangang Peuple lawn at Ttukseom Hangang Park.

Oh visited Ttukseom Hangang Park on Thursday afternoon, the day before the opening, to review plans for channeling the river's nighttime energy into the local economy and to inspect safety management arrangements. He first held a meeting with nearby merchants at the Under the Bridge Zone of Hangang Peuple — formerly known as Jabeolle — at Ttukseom Hangang Park, discussing ways to draw Han River visitors into traditional markets and side-street commercial districts and hearing their concerns firsthand.

He then toured the campground and a temporary food-delivery zone set up on the Hangang Peuple lawn, checking facility installations and safety measures ahead of the opening. The campgrounds at both Yeouido and Ttukseom will each offer 100 tents for public use, for a combined total of 200.

Meanwhile, the city will run a K-delivery experience campaign for foreign visitors throughout the Han River Camping period, allowing international tourists to order food through online food delivery apps without a Korean mobile phone number.

Oh also stopped by the Ttukseom Hangang Park outdoor pool, which is expected to see increased traffic from Han River Camping visitors, conducting an on-site water quality check and reviewing safety management and facility operations in preparation for a rise in nighttime swimmers.

The city has operated six aquatic facilities since June 19 — outdoor pools at Yeouido and Ttukseom Hangang Park and water play areas at Jamsil, Nanji, Gwangnaru and Yanghwa. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, when visitor numbers peak, the city, police and safety personnel conduct intensive patrols. A rapid-response system is also in place to report crimes such as illegal filming to police immediately. A total of 136 CCTV cameras at the pools and water play areas monitor for crime and safety incidents around the clock, and notices and banners warning against illegal filming have been posted in changing rooms and restrooms.

Water quality is tested hourly every day — including during busy nighttime hours — for residual chlorine, pH and turbidity. Pool floors are cleaned daily, and water is cycled through modern filtration systems at least four times a day so visitors can enjoy the facilities with confidence.

"Han River Camping is the first step in transforming the Han River into a '24-hour vitality space' where people can stay and enjoy themselves safely at night," Oh said. "While putting citizen safety first, we will create a virtuous cycle in which the energy and spending generated at the Han River flows through to nearby traditional markets and neighborhood commercial districts, and grow Seoul's nighttime into a new engine of growth."