Seoul dims its outdoor billboards, but not everyone feels it

Advertisements appear on digital billboards around Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno District, central Seoul, Feb. 5. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Park, a 74-year-old shoe repairman, has worked around Gwanghwamun Square for some 60 years. Much has changed in that time and the large outdoor LED billboards are not among the changes he welcomes.

“Gwanghwamun Square was much better in the old days. It got too cluttered after those displays went up,” Park told The Korea Times on Wednesday. “One or two screens in a set place is fine, but now there are just too many. Too flashy.”

Last week, Seoul introduced new brightness caps for large LED billboards to address such concerns, but the change was too subtle for Park to notice. Asked whether the brightness had gone down, he said he didn't know — then stepped outside and looked around. “It does seem a bit less bright, now that I look.”

Park's experience illustrates a broader disconnect surrounding the new guidelines. Starting this month, the Seoul Metropolitan Government set a daytime brightness limit for large LED billboards — the first among local governments — at 7,000 candelas per square meter. For nighttime, the limits are further tiered by display size and hour, ranging from 350 to 500 candelas, all well below the previous ceiling of 1,500.

The guidelines were meant to reduce visual fatigue among pedestrians and drivers, but for many who spend their days around Gwanghwamun, the caps have prompted responses ranging from cautious optimism to outright skepticism.

Advertisements on digital billboards light up Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul's Jongno District, Feb. 5. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

“I didn't know if the policy changed, but the billboards do seem a little dimmer lately,” said Park Ji-hoon, 56, who has driven tourist buses for about 25 years. “The lights used to shine directly at me and really hurt my eyes. These days, it feels a bit better.”

Kim Hye-joon, 30, who had undergone laser eye surgery and long suffered from light glare while driving, said the glare she experiences behind the wheel around Gwanghwamun has slightly eased recently. “I'm not sure if the lighting has been lowered, but it's better,” she said.

But others who noticed no immediate change expressed broader criticism of the billboards themselves.

“I did not notice any change in billboard brightness since April,” said Yoo Jong-dae, a night taxi driver in his late 60s. “I work from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. and the glare at night is still considerable, especially from the larger ones, and gets in the way of driving.”

Lee Philip, 86, also said he had not noticed any change in brightness, adding that the whole area became too commercial once those displays went up.

“Lowering the brightness is fine, but I'd rather see a different kind of regulation, one that lets citizens avoid these displays if they choose,” Lee added.

A city official overseeing cityscape policy told The Korea Times no revisions to the guidelines were currently planned and that no public feedback had yet been formally collected, but that updates could be made if specific problems emerged.

The official added that the guidelines were introduced after complaints mounted over multiplying billboards, particularly around Myeong-dong and Gwanghwamun.

“Office buildings across from the billboards reported that the glare and color changes made it difficult to work, even during the day,” the official said, adding that calls from the city council for stricter standards and widespread media coverage also contributed to the decision.

The city's billboard boom stems from a central government drive to build urban landmarks and boost the outdoor advertising industry, drawing inspiration from New York's Times Square. Coex in Gangnam District became the first designated free-display zone in 2016 — where billboard regulations are relaxed — with authorities later extending the policy to Gwanghwamun Square and Myeong-dong. Some buildings in those areas now feature screens larger than 1,200 square meters.