Mapo-gu, home to Gyeongui Line Forest Park, World Cup Park, Haneul Park and vibrant university areas, is set to enhance its reputation as a premier cultural and tourist destination, becoming a must-visit hot spot for tourists from overseas, according to the current district office head.

“If you haven’t traveled all over Mapo-gu, you haven’t truly experienced Seoul,” said Park Gang-su, 65, in an interview with The Korea Herald.

The district’s cultural vibrancy is evident in its attractions, including Hongdae near Hongik University, Yeonnam-dong and Hapjeong, which are bustling with youth-oriented activities, arts and a range of independent bookstores, cafes and restaurants. Similarly, Haneul Park enhances Mapo-gu’s reputation as a cultural and tourism destination, he said.

To add to the district's appeal, Park said he plans to launch Mapo Circular Bus, a bus to connect key tourism and entertainment sites later this year. A day pass for the bus, to be exclusively operated by the district office, will be 5,000 won and take passengers to key sites in Mapo from Hongdae's Red Road to Gyeongui Line Forest Park to Mangwon Hangang Park, he said.

The plan aims to invite tourists to less-visited attractions in the district and stimulate the local economy, Park said, adding that along with the bus, a mobile app will be developed to provide route information and details about commercial facilities for tourists.

According to Park, such initiatives are anticipated to be successful drawing from his previous successful projects. A prime example of this revitalization is Hongdae's Red Road. Formerly a series of underused parking areas, it has been transformed into a vibrant cultural hub. Since its opening in May last year, this pedestrian area — marked by its red asphalt and flowers that bloom in red — has had an impact. Stretching 2 kilometers from Gyeongui Line Forest Park to the Danginri Power Plant, the Red Road has seen a fourfold increase in the number of tourists of foreign nationality and features seven zones dedicated to busking, exhibitions and strolls.

Despite initial resistance from local merchants due to the removal of spaces to park, the project has led to increased business.

“Sales at Olive Young located along Hongdae's Red Road have soared by over 400 percent,” said Park. In a survey conducted June 4 to 7 by Teggil Mechatronics and Communication of 800 district residents 18 or older, 72.8 percent of respondents expressed a positive view of the revitalization efforts of Mapo-gu's alley commercial districts, with Hongdae's Red Road receiving over 55 percent of support as the most active area.

More new tourist spots -- such as Nanji Theme Forest Trail, Haneul Park Metasequoia Trail, a pet-friendly camping area in Nanji Hangang Park and Sangsahwa Flower Habitat in Haneul Park -- are constantly being developed to enhance Mapo-gu’s competitive edge in tourism.

Building on the success of the Red Road, Park is spearheading the creation of additional themed streets such as Wish Road, Haneul Road and Kkiri-Kkiri Road.

“In the remaining two years of my term, I will focus on developing themed streets filled with food, sights and entertainment. We aim to create specialized streets that reflect the unique stories of 11 different commercial areas, including Dohwa-dong Flower Road and Sangam-dong Taste Road,” he said.

Park also wants to make Mapo-gu a sustainable and safe neighborhood.

“Over the past two years, I have worked with the mindset that a single day of my work should be worth the combined efforts of our 370,000 residents. This approach has significantly improved Mapo-gu’s status and resident quality of life. We are also receiving higher external evaluations,” Park said.

Recent achievements highlight the district’s progress. The 2023 Mapo-gu Social Survey of 3,889 household members aged 15 or older from 2,000 households, showed 95.9 percent of the respondents intend to remain in Mapo-gu for the next decade, indicating strong resident satisfaction.

Additionally, the district topped the happiness index among Seoul’s 25 districts in the 2023 Seoul Survey, conducted from Sept. 1 to Oct. 15 last year via interviews of 20,000 households and online surveys and interviews of 5,000 other residents. Despite the overall decline in Seoul's happiness index, which measures satisfaction in health, finances, interpersonal relationships, family life and social life, Mapo-gu saw a notable increase of 0.9 points. Respondents were particularly satisfied with the residential walking environment, participation in sports activities, attitude toward the socially disadvantaged and social fairness in the district.

Enhancing welfare for older residents has also been key on Park's agenda. The "Hyodo Babsang" program provides daily free lunches, prepared by nutritionists, to 1,000 seniors aged 75 or older living alone in Mapo-gu.

Supported by donations from local businesses and residents, this initiative aims to improve the well-being of the district’s elderly population. “Keeping all public sports centers open year-round has also contributed to raising our happiness index,” Park added.

This article is the ninth installment in a series of feature stories and interviews that delve deeper into the hidden stories of Seoul's 25 districts. -- Ed.