Jung-gu to host escape-room festival using Myeong-dong's giant digital billboards

Seoul's Jung-gu district is set to launch an immersive festival that turns the neighborhood's giant digital billboards and media poles into the backdrop for a mobile escape-room game.

Jung-gu will host the "2026 Myeong-dong Square Mission Festa" on Nov. 21, starting at 10 a.m., across the Myeong-dong tourism special zone, in partnership with the Myeong-dong Square Public-Private Joint Council.

The festival combines Myeong-dong's large outdoor digital displays and street media poles with a mobile escape-room game format, creating an interactive tourism experience. Under the theme "Protect the Light of Myeong-dong," participants take on the role of secret agents tasked with finding hidden clues and completing missions scattered throughout the area.

The game unfolds across 10 locations in Myeong-dong, including Hana Bank, the Gyowon Naewoe Building, Shinsegae department store, Lotte Young Plaza and Now in Myeong-dong. Participants download the dedicated "Myeong-dong Square" app on their smartphones and visit each site to take part. The app supports four languages — Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese — making it accessible to foreign tourists.

No advance registration is required on the day of the event. Those who want to try the game early can register through the Myeong-dong Square website or the event poster's QR code by Nov. 13. The first 500 registrants will receive escape-room game vouchers worth 40,000 won ($30) and may complete missions in advance from Nov. 16 through Nov. 20.

A neighborhood competition will also be held, with residents from all 15 dong communities in Jung-gu taking part. Teams of five will be formed from each dong to compete in solving missions. Registration is open at local community centers through Nov. 13.

Prizes — including electric bicycles, robot vacuum cleaners and AirPods — will be awarded by lottery based on the number of missions completed. Participants in the neighborhood competition will receive travel vouchers and movie tickets.

Beyond the game, the festival will feature a full lineup of street performances and hands-on programs throughout Myeong-dong.

At Y Square, across from Lotte Young Plaza, events running from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. will include a K-pop random play dance, a Myeong-dong quiz show called "Challenge Myeong-dong Bell," and traditional games such as yunnori, jegi-chagi and ddakji-chigi. A performance by dance team INTRO and a live makeup beauty show will also be on offer.

The festival will close with a final group mission and a "Light of Myeong-dong" performance combining stage LED lighting and the glow of the audience's smartphones. Singer Kim Tae-yeon, a Jung-gu tourism ambassador, will round out the evening with a celebratory performance.

Myeong-dong Square is the brand name for the second-generation outdoor advertising free-display zone designated in the Myeong-dong area. Following a relaxation of billboard installation regulations, large digital displays have been installed at Shinsegae department store's main branch, the Gyowon Naewoe Building and Hana Bank's head office. The Myeong-dong streetscape now features 36 media poles and two following-media units.

District Mayor Kim Gil-sung said he hopes the festival will give visitors a chance to go beyond simply viewing the billboards and media poles of Myeong-dong Square and to actively experience and enjoy them. "We will use Myeong-dong Square as a street showcase and tourism platform to further enhance Myeong-dong's appeal as a destination the whole world wants to visit," Kim said.