The Yangwha Bridge locations will be rebranded as Cafe Jinjungsung Yangwha Bridge East Wing and Cafe Jinjungsung Yangwha Bridge West Wing. (Image provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government )
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Korea Bizwire) – The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on October 22 that four bridge-top cafes overlooking the Han River will reopen on October 24 following extensive renovations and partnerships with local coffee brands.
The cafes, located on Hangang, Hannam, and Yangwha Bridges, have been completely redesigned through a public-private partnership program initiated in May. The city selected two prominent local cafe operators, Urban Plant and Cafe Jinjeongseong, through a competitive bidding process to manage the locations.
Urban Plant, known for its nature-themed urban cafes in Seoul’s Hapjeong and Myeongdong districts and Busan’s Suyeong area, will operate the Gyeonu Cafe on Hangang Bridge and Saemal Cafe on Hannam Bridge.
Cafe Jinjungsung, which has built a reputation for premium milk tea across multiple locations in Seoul, Gimpo, Jeju, Incheon, Daegu, and Gwangju, will manage two cafes on Yangwha Bridge.
Urban plant located on Hangangdaegyo(Bridge)
The Yangwha Bridge locations will be rebranded as Cafe Jinjungsung Yangwha Bridge East Wing and Cafe Jinjungsung Yangwha Bridge West Wing. The east wing will specialize as a tea house featuring barista-blended teas, while the west wing will focus on coffee service.
City officials emphasized that the renovation plans incorporated significant input from the private operators to maintain their brand identities. The cafes will operate under their commercial brand names rather than their previous public designations.
The transformation of these bridge cafes is part of a broader initiative to enhance Seoul’s riverside attractions. A former cafe space on Hangang Bridge was already converted into Sky Suite, a viewpoint hotel, through a partnership between the city and Airbnb in July.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
