Seoul unveils 'night economy' plan with late-night sports facilities, new bus routes

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced its "24-Hour Vibrant Economy City Seoul" plan, the flagship night-economy initiative of the ninth elected-term administration. The plan extends operating hours at sports and cultural facilities so residents can use them late into the evening, and introduces a new late-night "Firefly Bus" service linking the city's major nighttime attractions. Night-time safety management will also be strengthened. To sustain the effort, the city plans to designate night-economy coexistence zones and launch a Seoul Night Economy Committee.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon unveiled the plan Thursday morning at Seoul City Hall. "We will push ahead in earnest with a 'Seoul-style night economy' that connects culture, sports, tourism and commercial districts — along with transport, safety, cleanliness and hygiene — from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following morning," he said.

The Seoul-style night economy is not simply a policy to extend shop and restaurant hours or encourage late-night spending. It is a comprehensive urban strategy: one that gives residents richer evenings filled with health, culture and leisure; gives tourists more reasons to stay longer in Seoul; and creates new opportunities for small business owners to convert increased foot traffic and longer stays into sales.

"The night citizens want is not a night of more spending, but a night of better living," Oh said. "The Seoul-style night economy is about giving citizens better hours — and letting those hours become the city's vitality."

The plan focuses on expanding both citizens' "life hours" and Seoul's "economic hours" simultaneously. It aims to broaden daily routines by making exercise, culture and leisure available later in the evening, while enriching nighttime offerings to draw more visitors and extend their stays — ultimately channeling that activity into spending at neighborhood businesses.

To that end, the city plans to reshape Seoul's nighttime environment around four commitments: nights that enrich citizens' everyday lives, nights that invite longer stays through Seoul's unique appeal, nights that are orderly and free from concerns about transport, safety and cleanliness, and nights built sustainably through collective effort.

Through these measures, the city aims to generate an additional 5 trillion won ($3.57 billion) in annual nighttime spending within five years, attract 30 million foreign tourists a year, and raise the share of nighttime sales for small business owners to more than 50 percent.

The starting point of the Seoul-style night economy is citizens' daily lives. The city will extend operating hours at public facilities closely tied to residents' routines — sports venues, cultural institutions and parks — so people can exercise, enjoy culture and relax with their families near home without traveling far or spending a lot.

To ensure residents can exercise comfortably after work, 269 sports facilities at city and district offices, schools and parks will operate until as late as midnight, depending on each facility's conditions. Lighting and amenities at 259 Han River and tributary sports facilities will be upgraded so they remain convenient to use late at night.

The city will also expand neighborhood nighttime attractions where families can stroll and enjoy the evening scenery. The waterfront "Seoul Mulbit Naru" spaces will grow from 19 locations to 40 by 2030, and by 2028 each of the city's 25 autonomous districts will have its own nighttime attraction reflecting local character.

Cultural hours will be extended as well. Eight municipal cultural facilities — including museums and art galleries — currently open for one night a week will begin rolling out extended hours starting next month, staying open until 9 p.m. five days a week. The city also plans to develop Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Namsan, Gwanghwamun and the Han River as four major nighttime landmarks, using content tailored to each venue's appeal to keep visitors longer and spread vitality to surrounding commercial areas.

"Seoul Moonlight Night Market," which turns local food and alley commerce into nighttime attractions, will launch at five locations this year and expand to 25 by 2028.

As the city opens more of Seoul's nights, it is also stepping up its responsibilities. Starting in October, a new late-night "Firefly Bus" will operate alongside the existing N-bus night service, connecting major nighttime destinations — Hongdae, Gwanghwamun, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Myeong-dong and Gangnam — with subway stations. While the existing N-bus links the city center with residential areas to help people get home, the Firefly Bus focuses on improving mobility between major nighttime venues and key transit hubs.

Major nighttime hubs that draw large crowds will be designated as priority management zones, with AI-powered crowd-detection CCTV monitoring congestion and density in real time. An emergency medical response network linking the city with public health centers, the fire department and hospitals will also be established at each hub to detect risks early and respond swiftly to emergencies.

Street cleanliness management will be strengthened so that good nights carry through to clean mornings. A 150-person cleanliness rapid-response team will be deployed in areas with heavy late-night foot traffic, and a management system will be set up with district offices and merchant associations to address cleanliness issues quickly.

To ensure the night economy does not fade after a few events or remain confined to certain trendy areas, the city will build a sustainable operational foundation encompassing regulations, cooperative frameworks, data and branding. A basic ordinance on night-economy promotion — laying out policy direction and the legal basis for support — will be drafted with a target of taking effect in January next year, and a Seoul Night Economy Committee will be launched in September to advise on master plans, coexistence zones and regulatory reform. The city will also pursue "night-economy coexistence zones" to intensively develop nighttime content and commercial districts suited to each area's character.

Scattered nighttime offerings will be unified under a single brand. Through the "Seoul Night MAP," the city plans to provide integrated information on nighttime attractions, programs and transport options in one place, making it easier for residents and tourists alike to discover and linger in Seoul after dark.

"The Seoul-style night economy is not simply a policy to spend and have fun until late — it is a policy that aligns the city's hours with citizens' lives, so that after work they can exercise, enjoy culture and spend richer time with their families," Oh said. "We will boldly open the city's doors while taking even greater care of transport and safety, and build a '24-Hour Vibrant Economy City, Seoul' where citizens' lives and the city's competitiveness grow together."