Dongdaemun-gu Completes 'Street of Light' Along Wangsan-ro

Seoul's Dongdaemun-gu held a completion ceremony Tuesday at Cheongnyangni Station plaza, marking the launch of a new nighttime landmark along Wangsan-ro through the "Wangsan-ro Street of Light" project, which reimagines the area's historical identity and urban landscape after dark.

The project was undertaken to improve the nightscape along Wangsan-ro between the Sinseol-dong Station intersection and Cheongnyangni Station plaza and to create a distinctive urban space in the area.

The district installed a gate-type media facility, upgraded nighttime lighting along key stretches of the road, and added gobo lights along pedestrian walkways to transform the street's after-dark appearance.

The centerpiece is the gate-type media installation at Cheongnyangni Station plaza, a symbolic structure that reinterprets the historical significance of Wangsan-ro in a contemporary form. Designed to evoke the image of a "gate" connecting past and present, it will display a range of media content and offer residents and visitors a new cultural experience.

Wangsan-ro takes its name from Wangsan Heo Wi, a scholar-general who raised righteous armies and led anti-Japanese resistance during the late Joseon period when national sovereignty was under threat, making the road a space of deep historical identity and symbolism for the area.

Where Wangsan Heo Wi and his fighters once advanced through the darkness toward Seoul to defend their country, the road today has become a path along which countless residents carry on their daily lives and move toward the future.

Drawing on that historical meaning, the district designed the project to carry forward the spirit of the small torches once lit by those fighters — now expressed through the light of the modern city — and to create a space where history and culture coexist, going beyond a simple landscape upgrade to illuminate Dongdaemun-gu's future.

Upgraded nighttime lighting along major sections of Wangsan-ro, combined with gobo lights installed along pedestrian walkways, creates varied light-based scenery throughout the street, giving residents and visitors something new to enjoy in their daily lives and turning the road into a place people will want to walk even at night.

The ceremony included a progress report on the project and its key components, commemorative and congratulatory remarks, and a viewing of the media content.

Attendees were treated to a live showcase of the content displayed on the newly installed gate-type media facility at Cheongnyangni Station plaza, signaling the full launch of the Wangsan-ro Street of Light.

"Wangsan-ro is more than just a road — it is a space imbued with the history and spirit of our community," Dongdaemun-gu District Mayor Choi Dong-min said. "Through this project, I hope Wangsan-ro will be remembered for its historical value while also becoming a new nighttime destination that residents can enjoy as part of their everyday lives."