KB News Desk
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will deploy dedicated patrol personnel and seek to introduce administrative fines after separate incidents of bathing and coin collecting at Cheonggyecheon drew widespread public attention.
The city said Thursday that it had assigned one dedicated patrol officer to Palseokdam, where a middle-aged man and woman were filmed collecting coins tossed into the stream. It has dedicated another patrol to the Gosanjagyo Bridge area, where a woman was caught on camera washing in the stream using soap and other bathing supplies in broad daylight.
The incidents, which were filmed days apart and widely shared online, renewed concerns over inappropriate behavior at one of Seoul’s most popular public spaces during the busy summer season.
Palseokdam has served as a wishing pond since October 2025. According to a sign at the site, coins tossed into the pond are periodically collected and donated to children’s education programs through the Seoul Scholarship Foundation and the Korean Committee for UNICEF.
In addition to the dedicated patrol officers, 40 safety personnel from the Seoul Facilities Corp. will continue rotating patrols along the stream’s entire 8.12-kilometer course. The city has installed six additional banners and signs warning against prohibited activities, including entering the water, bathing, smoking and drinking alcohol.
Seoul said it planned to revise relevant ordinances to establish clearer enforcement standards and create a legal basis for imposing administrative fines, replacing a system that has relied largely on warnings and guidance.
