Seoul Metro Opens Station Name Co-Branding to Small and Venture Businesses

Seoul Metro will now offer small and venture businesses the chance to promote their brands through the subway's station co-naming program.

Seoul Metro announced it will hold a paid bidding process for station name co-branding rights at 10 stations, including Jongno 3-ga, Hongik University and Sindorim.

The bid — the first since the agency expanded eligibility for the program — opened Friday and closes Sept. 22.

Station co-branding places an institution or company name in parentheses beside or below the station name, in both hangul and English.

The winning co-brand name will appear on eight types of signage, including pole signs, entrance name boards, platform and screen door name boards, and single-line route maps inside trains. The company name will also be announced in alighting-station audio broadcasts.

Seoul Metro completed a reform of the co-naming program in July to reduce its fiscal deficit and secure new revenue streams. The agency has faced mounting financial pressure from below-cost fares, rising transit welfare costs such as free rides for eligible passengers, and growing safety investment needs due to aging infrastructure.

The biggest change is an expansion of eligible participants — previously limited to mid-sized companies and above — to now include smaller companies and venture businesses.

Winners will be selected through a two-stage process: a qualitative review followed by a price bid. In the first stage, applicants are scored on quantitative criteria such as accessibility and public benefit (70 points) and a qualitative assessment by a review committee (30 points); those scoring 70 or above advance to the second stage. The highest bidder among those who pass the review is then named the winner.

The 10 stations up for bid are Jongno 3-ga (Line 1); Sindorim, Guro Digital Complex and Hongik University (Line 2); Chungmuro (Lines 3 and 4); Magok (Line 5); Eungam and Digital Media City (Line 6); Nonhyeon (Line 7); and Bokjeong (Line 8).

The list includes stations where existing contracts have expired and stations where prior demand surveys confirmed corporate interest.

Bidders must be located within 1 kilometer of the station they apply for. Those based outside Seoul may qualify if they are within 2 kilometers.

Winners may use their name as the co-branded station name for three years. After the contract ends, a single three-year extension is available without a new bid.

Seoul Metro expects the program to serve as a brand-awareness tool for companies while helping subway riders more easily identify their destinations.

The co-naming program currently operates at 38 Seoul subway stations. The renewal rate for contracts expiring this year stands at 86 percent, indicating high satisfaction among participating organizations.

"We will lower the barrier for small and venture businesses to participate, offering broader opportunities to companies with growth potential," said Jeong Won-gyu, head of Seoul Metro's strategic business division. "We will secure stable ancillary revenue through the active participation of innovative companies and strengthen the corporation's fiscal health."