Explore Seoul's cinema hub: Jung District launches movie, alleyway stamp tour

Manseon Hof, a popular pub located near Eulji-ro 1-ga Station in Seoul’s Jung District. Korea Times file

Families on summer break, couples seeking unique date spots and local office workers searching for lunch options in downtown Seoul have a new incentive to explore the vibrant alleyways of Chungmu-ro and Eulji-ro.

The Jung District Office said Wednesday that it is hosting the Eulji-Myeongbo Stamp Tour through Aug. 28 across the Eulji-ro and Chungmu-ro alley-style shopping district and the newly designated Seoul Film Center.

Organized by the Eulji-Myeongbo Merchants Association, the promotion spans 34 local businesses located along the trendy "hip-muro" corridors — a playful portmanteau of hip and Chungmu-ro — featuring long-established eateries, hidden wine bars and eclectic cafes. The merchant group partnered with the Seoul Film Center to encourage both cultural visits and local neighborhood spending.

Participating in the tour involves three straightforward steps.

First, visitors show a Seoul Film Center movie ticket or upload a visit review to their personal social media accounts to receive a tour map and their first stamp at the film center's ticket booth. Next, participants visit two participating businesses marked on the map, order a meal or beverage and post photo reviews on social media to earn two additional stamps. Finally, the first 300 participants to collect all three stamps will receive a 10,000 won ($7.20) Onnuri gift certificate — usable at traditional markets and local commercial zones — at the Seoul Film Center ticket office.

Tour maps can be issued and rewards redeemed daily between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. through Aug. 28, or until gift vouchers run out.

The Eulji-ro and Chungmu-ro district, recently selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ Promising Alley Commercial District Development Project, sits at a unique intersection of Korean heritage and pop culture. Nestled near the historic Chungmu-ro film street and the birthplace of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, famous for defending the Joseon Dynasty against Japanese invasions during the Imjin War (1592–1598), district officials aim to leverage these cultural assets to transform the area into a long-stay cultural and tourism hub.

"We hope this stamp tour will highlight the hidden charm of the Eulji-myeongbo district and encourage foot traffic and local spending deep inside these alleyways," said Jung-gu Mayor Kim Kil-sung. "We will continue to inject vitality into our neighborhood economies through tailored initiatives that celebrate each district's distinct character."

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.