Crackdown on Illegal Signage Damaging Urban Aesthetics

Only 2 signages per business are permitted, and when a building faces roads on both sides, one additional horizontal signage may be added. Pole-mounted signages and rooftop signages are principally prohibited. Additionally, newly constructed buildings must install signage posting frames.

Suwon City announced new outdoor advertisement guidelines on the 25th of last month, reinforcing the '1 Business, 2 Signage' policy to address pollution-level outdoor advertisements and reducing the quantity and size of signages. The city has launched a comprehensive cleanup effort targeting outdoor advertisements that damage urban aesthetics.

The new advertisement guidelines permit 2 signages per business in most downtown areas, including district unit planning zones, project sites, scenic districts, and areas surrounding approximately 3,119 roads totaling 898 kilometers with a width of 20 meters or more. When a building faces roads on both sides, one additional horizontal signage may be installed.

Newly constructed buildings must install signage posting frames to prevent external wall damage and facilitate signage replacement. Advertisement displays using glass-finished walls and windows installed through curtain wall methods are also prohibited.

Regarding the types and display methods of advertisements, horizontal signages must not be installed as flat-panel types but as three-dimensional types. A decorative background panel may be installed on the wall before installing the three-dimensional signage, which can be installed up to the 3rd floor of buildings, or up to the 5th floor in commercial areas.

For buildings of 4 stories or above (6 stories or above in commercial areas), one three-dimensional signage may be attached to each of up to 3 sides at the top of the building displaying the building name, name or business name of the building occupant, or a symbolic figure.

Signage sizes are restricted to 60 centimeters or less for buildings up to 3 stories, and 70 centimeters or less for 4 to 5 story buildings. For the top floor of buildings of 4 stories (6 stories in commercial areas) or above: 70 centimeters or less for 5 stories or below, and an additional 10 centimeters per story for 6 stories or above, with a maximum of 2 meters.

A comprehensive guide sign may be installed on the wall above the main entrance of street-facing buildings. For businesses unable to install horizontal signages, a combined horizontal signage not exceeding 150 centimeters in width and 50 centimeters in height may be installed on each business at a height of 3 meters or above up to the 5th floor.

Protruding signages must be written horizontally and, for buildings with a front width of 10 meters or less, may be installed in one line; for widths exceeding 10 meters, one line may be installed at each end of the building. Including the posting frame, the size must not exceed 100 centimeters in width and 100 centimeters in height, with curved corner and box types recommended.

Pole-mounted signages and rooftop signages are principally prohibited. However, pole-mounted signages may be installed not exceeding 4 meters in height following committee review. Rooftop signages may be displayed on one's own building, only when the occupant uses 50 percent or more of the building area, limited to the building name or its advertisement, and only following committee review.

Additionally, flashing neon signs using electricity and video-format advertisements (LED, LCD, PDP, CRT, or similar) are prohibited. However, in commercial areas not adjacent to residential areas, such advertisements may be displayed following committee review.

In such cases, electrical wiring, ballasts, and other electrical equipment must not be exposed to the exterior, and energy-efficient types must be used as much as possible.