Authorities to intensify nighttime patrols and enforcement in chronic dumping zones, alongside public awareness campaigns
Mapo-gu will expand street cleaning in the Hongdae area and strengthen guidance and enforcement against illegal waste dumping.
A recent television broadcast highlighted the issue under the theme "Hongdae's trash-filled nights," reporting that garbage accumulates on streets around Hongdae every evening, worsening the neighborhood environment.
The Hongdae area is a tourism-designated street that draws heavy foot traffic from both domestic and foreign tourists. Illegal dumping occurs frequently, particularly during late-night hours when visitor numbers peak, making it difficult to maintain a clean street environment.
Mapo-gu said it has been conducting ongoing street cleaning and waste collection through contracted service providers. The district also operates an illegal-dumping enforcement unit staffed by environmental officers, who carry out on-site patrols, public guidance and crackdowns in vulnerable areas.
Despite these efforts, trash repeatedly piles up again after collection during peak nighttime hours.
Hongik Culture Park, which completed a renovation project last year, faces a similar situation.
The park had long been flagged for deteriorating facilities and persistent noise and litter problems, prompting calls to improve conditions for visitors. In response, Mapo-gu renovated the park through a 2025 improvement project and redeveloped it as a cultural and arts space.
Park maintenance workers collect waste and tidy the grounds regularly, and increase the frequency of patrols and cleanups during periods of high visitor traffic.
Even so, illegal dumping has not been fully resolved as nighttime visitor numbers continue to grow.
Mapo-gu said it will significantly strengthen on-site management in chronic illegal-dumping zones and during vulnerable nighttime hours, taking into account the particular characteristics of the Hongdae area. The district plans to actively pursue both public guidance and enforcement against illegal dumping.
Alongside this, the district will run public information campaigns to educate residents and visitors on proper waste disposal methods.
"We will step up street cleaning and waste collection in the Hongdae area and focus our management on chronic illegal-dumping sites," a Mapo-gu official said. "We will do our best to build an on-the-ground management system that helps establish a culture of proper waste disposal."
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