Seoul City offers daily events on the Deoksu Palace Walkway

Seoul City offers daily events on the Deoksu Palace Walkway. April. 22, 2016 07:42. by 송충현기자 balgun@donga.com. The walkway around Deoksu Palace from the Daehan Gate, the main entrance of the palace, to the round fountain in front of Chungdong First Methodist Church is like an oasis to those who work in downtown Seoul. One can easily find many people walk around the area with a cup of coffee in their hand after launch. In addition, the area is safe because it becomes car-free from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on weekdays.

The Seoul metropolitan government said on Thursday that it will provide different themes on each weekday from this month to October for citizens visiting the walkway. It plans to hold a wide range of events from music performances to the sale of products made by social enterprises in the area.

It will be a "street of culture" on Mondays. People will be attracted by classical, Korean traditional music or indie bands’ performances around the fountain. Other performances will be held jointly with Chungdong First Methodist Church, which has been holding a “Noon Concert” on Mondays from March through May.

"Walking" is the theme of Tuesdays. There will be no concert or performance on that day so that citizens can focus on walking and enjoy the walkway. On Wednesdays, 15 tables with parasols will be arranged to enable people to have lunch on the table, looking around the walkway. As the number of seats is limited – around four or five seats per table – one should apply in advance via email (kje@worldcomm.kr) including the number of seats that you need and your contact by Friday of the preceding week.

Citizens can participate in a concert in person. On every Thursday, the walkway turns into a stage for amateur artists recruited by the Seoul metropolitan government. Though selling products is not allowed, the artists can exhibit their unique products or handicraft. If you want to do a performance or exhibit your product on the walkway, you need to apply on “Story in Seoul" (seoul.go.kr/story/walk). On Fridays through Sundays, “Deoksu Palace Fair Shops” event is held to sell art pieces and handicraft made by social enterprises. Fair shops will be placed on the walkway, so that shops can open on Saturdays and Sundays when vehicles are allowed to pass.

As the walkway will be a car-free zone from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. from Monday through Friday, vehicles visiting nearby facilities such as Chungdong First Methodist Church or Deoksu Elementary School should take a detour. As the parking lot in the car-free zone will be restricted, drivers should use a public parking lot in front of the British Embassy. “We will increase car-free zones so that citizens can enjoy performances and events on the street without being interrupted by vehicles even during their lunch time,” the Seoul metropolitan government said.