As regulations on outdoor advertisements that severely damage urban aesthetics are becoming increasingly strict, the area in front of Suwon Station is instead plagued by rooftop signs arranged in a fan-shaped 'advertisement screen' pattern, drawing frowns from residents.
In particular, critics point out that despite the horizontal spacing standards between large rooftop signs not conforming to relevant laws, the city ignored this and approved them anyway, contributing to the damage of urban aesthetics.
According to the city, a total of nine large rooftop signs (measuring at least 10 meters wide and 6 meters tall) and LED billboards are currently installed on Maesanro 1-ga in front of Suwon Station. These include the 'Chamisul' sign that K Planning began installing in October 2005, along with six rooftop signs including 'Daekyo Eye Level,' 'Anycall,' 'Hanshin University,' 'Hyupsung University,' and 'Seowon University,' as well as three exterior LED billboards at Lotte Department Store by C Daily, K Daily, and S Communications.
However, except for the LED billboard installed on the exterior of Lotte Department Store, these rooftop signs are crowded together with eight rooftop signs and billboards within a distance of just under 150 meters. When viewed from the front of Suwon Station, the signs are arranged in a fan-shaped 'screen' pattern.
According to Suwon City's Outdoor Advertisement Management Ordinance, rooftop advertisements must maintain a horizontal spacing of 50 meters between each rooftop sign, but in reality, no rooftop signs maintain this spacing. In particular, the five rooftop signs standing on the left side of Maesanro from Suwon Station are clustered only 10 to 20 meters apart.
Although the Suwon Station area is a region where outdoor advertisements are rampant—to the extent that Gyeonggi Province designated it as a specific zone and strengthened display restrictions for outdoor advertisements in 2004—the city is causing controversy by approving rooftop signs that do not comply with relevant laws.
Office worker Choi Mi-jin, 31, said, "When you get off at Suwon Station, the first things that catch your eye are traffic congestion and rooftop signs," and criticized, "I cannot understand why the city takes no measures despite commercial signs—not signs for Suwon City's urban brand or culture and tourism—overflowing everywhere."
An advertising industry official said, "The area in front of Suwon Station is an unbeatable prime location in terms of advertising effect," adding, "Everyone wants to install a sign there, but the requirement to maintain horizontal spacing was established because it can affect not only urban aesthetics but also safety."
Critics point out that Suwon City, which said it would establish a new urban landscape plan befitting a city of 1.1 million people and created a 'Urban Landscape Department,' is leaving the shortcomings of 'the area in front of Suwon Station'—which is considered the face of Suwon—unaddressed.
A city official said, "These rooftop signs were permitted back in 1997 and 1998, so we need to review the permit details from that time to understand accurately," while adding, "After examining the building owners and actual users and applying the 50-meter horizontal spacing requirement, some signs will likely need to be removed."
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