• The first project for the vitalization of the nighttime economy to be implemented, which was part of the 9th popularly elected administration’s goals. Nighttime destinations will be created using popular food stores and each alley’s cultural resources.
  • 19 commercial areas from 15 districts participated in the public call, and the final six winners were selected through document, on-site, and citizen evaluations.
  • Night markets to be expanded to 25 locations by 2028. Each selected commercial area will receive up to 2 billion won for facility improvements and branding efforts.
  • Management guidelines will be put in place, covering operational hours, noise, and cleanliness. Coexistence agreements between merchants and residents will be in effect to minimize disturbance to nearby residents.
  • Mayor Oh said, “We will cultivate night markets, each with its own distinctive characteristics, to make the nighttime of the city rich and colorful and to welcome global visitors.”

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, September 15, 2026 – The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to create nighttime destinations across the city, where people can enjoy delicious food outdoors after work and spend time with family and friends on beautiful local alleys in the evenings. To that end, the SMG held the “2026 Seoul Moonlight Night Market Final Evaluation with Citizen Participation” on September 14 (Mon) at 1 PM at the Multi-Purpose Hall on the 8th floor of Seoul City Hall and selected the final locations for the project.

Seoul Moonlight Night Market is one of the projects to implement the key strategy of the 9th popularly elected administration, “Vitalizing Nighttime Economy,” in neighborhood commercial alleys. The project aims to extend the operating hours of commercial areas, which are usually daytime, into the night, thereby facilitating citizens and tourists to spend more time and money. This will, in turn, increase sales for small local businesses and stimulate local economies.

In the final evaluation, five experts and 50 citizen panelists participated. Candidate locations presented a plan to create a distinct, characteristic night market, and the evaluation panel assessed its suitability after a Q&A session. The entire evaluation process was livestreamed on YouTube.

<19 commercial areas from 15 districts participated in the public call. Final selections were made through document, on-site, and citizen evaluations.>

Ten commercial areas with strengths in food, culture, and tourism resources, and good transportation accessibility, advanced to the final stage. The list and the candidates’ traits are below, in Korean alphabetical order.

The final winners are: 1) Serosu-gil, Gangnam-gu, 2) Sadang Orak Moonlight Night Market Commercial Area, Gwanak-gu, 3)Konkuk University Taste Street, Gwangjin-gu, 4) Changdong Station Commercial Area, Dobong-gu, 5) Sadang 1-dong Food Street, Dongjak-gu, 6) Sangbong Food Street, Jungang-gu.

The SMG initially planned to select only five winners, but panelists suggested selecting an additional winner, because the candidates had highly complete business plans and on-site evaluations showed strong growth potential. The SMG therefore reflected the panelists’ opinions and selected six final winners.

The SMG will launch the Seoul Moonlight Night Market project at the six locations selected this year and plan to expand to 25 locations by 2028. The selected commercial areas will develop nighttime content using their cultural and tourism resources, such as small businesses, popular food stores, and stores with rich history, and will also create outdoor food spaces tailored to their regional characteristics. They will work at creating nighttime landscapes and develop themselves as major nighttime destinations that citizens and tourists will want to visit in the evening.

In this project’s public call, 19 commercial areas from 15 districts submitted proposals. The SMG first screened the proposals through a document evaluation and selected 10 candidates for the final evaluation. Experts conducted on-site evaluations, and experts and citizen panelists conducted the final evaluation.

<Up to 2 billion won will be provided to each project location…. Transforming neighborhood streets into nighttime destinations>

The SMG will provide up to 2 billion won per location through 2028 to help the selected locations establish themselves as popular Moonlight Night Markets in the city. The city government will renovate pedestrian paths, streetlights, CCTVs, toilets, and other convenience and sanitation facilities tailored to each commercial alley’s characteristics. In addition, it will refurbish old signs and lighting to accentuate each commercial alley’s charms and character.

Beyond facility improvements, the SMG is also seeking to create nighttime tourism content that incorporates foods and nearby cultural and tourism resources from each alley. The SMG will develop a joint “Seoul Moonlight Night Market” brand and logo for online and offline promotion and marketing. The SMG will seek to issue “Moonlight Love Gift Certificates,” in connection with the existing Seoul Love Gift Certificates. Along with hosting promotional events to encourage citizen participation, such as visit verification promotions, the SMG will ensure that visitors’ time spent and spending in the area lead to tangible increases in sales for local small businesses.

To ensure a convenient experience for family visitors and tourists, the SMG will install storage facilities for baby strollers and suitcases, tailored to each commercial alley’s conditions and environment. The SMG and selected commercial areas will offer citizens a nighttime environment to enjoy a rich array of food close to home in the evenings, while giving tourists new, refreshing experiences to take in the beauty of the city’s nighttime.

To ensure nighttime markets do not disturb nearby residents, safety, cleanliness, and coexistence will be the primary principles of the Seoul Moonlight Night Markets. Merchants and nearby residents will jointly sign coexistence agreements to establish cooperative bodies to manage issues such as noise, odors, trash, and pedestrian safety at all times and to set up a swift operation system that can handle resident complaints promptly.

In the meantime, the SMG will work to lay an institutional foundation for the safe and systematic operation of night markets. The city government has already issued an administrative notice for the “Guidelines on Road Occupancy for Outdoor Business Operations” from August 31 to September 10, and it will take effect on September 14 (Mon). The “Ordinance on Outdoor Business Operations by Food Service Establishments (proposal)” is currently under the administrative notice period from August 27 to September 16, and the content will be distributed on September 21.