Streets Filled with Music
On August 19th, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) held the 2023 Jongno Carless Street Festival. The festival extended 350m from Hyehwa Station Exit 1 to the Seoul National University Hospital Entrance from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., with restricted car entrance from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The festival has been discussed by SKKU and the Jongno District Office since last February. A member of the student council SKKUP explained to the Sungkyun Times (SKT) that, as SKKU has become the representative university of the district, this festival focused on the school brand with stages filled with SKKU’s School of Art, various student clubs and booths, and Confucian culture-
themed activities. Carless streets have been in Seoul since 2014, with the first held near Sinchon Station. According to the head of the Jongno District Office, its purpose was to “revitalize a stagnant street of Hyehwa by rebranding the street as the world’s leading mecca of performing arts.” This particular Hyehwa Street has 156 performance venues and 120 theatres. When asked about the crowded streets, Park Yu-min (Sophomore, Department of Applied Artificial Intelligence), who attended the festival, told the SKT, “I am excited that the festival brought more people to this area because there are a lot of interesting things to do.”
Songs of Joy or Trial
Since its beginning, the carless streets have received positive responses from those using them. One of the aspects was that they created a cultural space in an otherwise mundane area. With this newfound identity, more people are drawn to the street, ultimately increasing the profits of nearby businesses. A food cart owner near Hyehwa Station explained that although a crowd was expected, the festival brought an unexpected number of people. Furthermore, it provides opportunities for students to gain experience performing in front of a broad audience. On the other hand, restricted car access has been proven to be a significant inconvenience to most. Although a carless street would be effective in areas where it was designed to be walkable, the carless street festivals are only a stop in the road. One student of SKKU declared this discomfort when he had to get off the bus and walk to his destination due to the changed bus routes. Also, due to a lack of sufficient advertising for the event online, the general public could not get an understanding of what kind of activities would be prepared. However, it was not only the public who did not receive appropriate notice. Students running the booths were only given two-weeks’ notice to prepare for the festival, which was undoubtedly insufficient time to create merchandise. Usually, the student groups are given a longer time, for instance, at least a month to prepare for an event, according to Lim Sung-eun, an SKKU branding team DRSK member. Members of other student groups told the SKT that being notified of the festival’s size would have made for a smoother preparation. Overall, the positives outweighed the negatives; however, it will take a considerable effort to rebrand Jongno Street as the mecca of performing arts.
