Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon Stream turns into hip place to immerse in reading while listening to music

People read a book at the “Silent Night Chaengmeong” event held at Cheonggyecheon Stream in Seoul on September 6. Courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan Government

At sunset, a group of people are sitting on red chairs along the streamside between Mojeon Bridge and Gwangtong Bridge in Cheonggyecheon Stream in Seoul. With books in their hands, they are experiencing the Seoul Outdoor Library.

In the late afternoon of September 6, when a cool breeze brought the temperature down to 25 degrees Celsius, the scene was a little different. All people were wearing headphones with blue lights as the event called “Silent Night Chaengmeong” was held where they could read books while listening to music.

Since 2022, Seoul has operated the “Seoul Outdoor Library,” which provides chairs and bookshelves in Seoul Plaza and Gwanghwamun Square for people to read. Last year, 1.7 million people participated in the program, which was selected as the No. 1 in “Seoul's Top 10 News” by citizens. After piloting the outdoor library in Cheonggyecheon Stream in October last year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government officially opened it in April this year.

The event was organized to spread the reading culture by giving adults a more immersive reading experience in the stream as the heat subsides. Seoul explained, "’Text Hip,’ a concept that considers reading and recording activities cool, has recently emerged centering on Generation Z. We planned an event where people in their 20s and 30s can only immerse themselves in reading.”

“Silent Night Chaengmeong” accepted the registration of 150 applicants in advance on a first-come, first-served basis from August 24, and it is said that the registration was closed on the same day. On the first day of the event, about 20 people lined up in the line for 50 applicants 30 minutes before the application process began.

Choi Sang-mi (63) and Sung Eun-sook (58), who came together from Jungnang-gu, Seoul, said, "I tried to apply for ‘Silent Night Chaengmeong’ in advance, but it closed early, so I had no choice but to line up," adding, "I feel really good as I read in illuminated Cheonggyecheon Stream, which is comparable to beautiful places in foreign countries.”

Kim Chang-hyun (33), who visited the stream with his lover from Chuncheon-si, Gangwon Province, said, “I was in Seoul for work and applied for the event in advance after seeing it on social media. It was a new experience to read a book outside in the cool breeze.”

Participants were given an immersion box with headphones, a small towel, and a reading light to attach to the book. The immersion box is a small box to store their phones while reading, and when the lock that came with the box was locked, the staff of the event left with the keys and kept them until the participants returned the immersion box. It is said that more than half of the participants received immersion boxes to focus only on reading books and listening to music. Small towels were provided for people to wipe their feet after reading while soaking them in the stream.

As the participants sat on red chairs alongside the stream, music by YouTuber DJ MAV played through their headphones. Before the DJ's set, well-known pop songs played, but as the event began, quieter music mixed with the sounds of nature, such as wind and water, played.

People were immersed in reading books in their own ways, such as taking off their shoes and dipping their feet into the water, looking around book baskets and animal-shaped bookshelves to find their favorite books, and taking commemorative photos. An office worker in her 30s said, "It was amazing that I could concentrate on reading while listening to music rather than the contents of the book."

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is also planning to hold “Silent Night Chaengmeong” at the outdoor library in Gwanghwamun Square on September 22.

Oh Ji-eun, the director of Seoul Metropolitan Library, said on the 10th, “The various attempts of Seoul Outdoor Library have greatly contributed to the perception of reading as a ‘hip’ activity among the Generation Z in their 20s and 30s. We will continue to prepare various programs that will help people immerse themselves in reading in everyday life.”

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.