Seongdong-gu in Seoul has introduced a dedicated short-stay parking zone at its district office to make visits more convenient for residents with quick administrative errands.
The zone — the first of its kind among Seoul's autonomous districts — is reserved for residents who need one hour or less to complete their business, such as obtaining official documents or handling routine administrative tasks.
The district carved out six spaces on the first below-ground floor of the district office's attached parking lot and installed clearly visible signage at each space identifying it as a short-stay zone for visitors.
The initiative focuses on easing parking shortages caused by long-term parkers while making better use of existing spaces. Rather than building new parking infrastructure — which in Seoul typically requires substantial cost and land acquisition — the district opted to improve how its existing lot is managed so that the limited space can be used more efficiently.
The dedicated spaces were also positioned close to the district office entrance to shorten the walk to the civil affairs counter and improve accessibility. The district plans to monitor usage regularly and maintain signage to ensure the zone continues to serve visitors smoothly.
One resident who visited the office said that in the past, finding a parking spot sometimes took longer than the actual errand itself. "Now that there's a dedicated short-stay zone, I don't have to worry about parking and I can get my business done quickly," the resident said.
Seongdong-gu District Mayor Yoo Bo-hwa said the district had carefully improved the parking environment from the user's perspective so that residents coming in for brief errands would not be inconvenienced. "We will continue to pay close attention to the small inconveniences residents face in their daily lives and deliver hands-on administrative services that people can actually feel," she said.
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