Ferries could ply Seoul's Han River: Mayor Oh

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Monday hinted at the possibility of running ferries on the Han River as a new public transportation mode, akin to London's River Bus, as shown above. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Ferries on the Han River could become a new means of public transportation in Seoul.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon spoke highly of London’s River Bus during a visit to the British capital on Monday and said he would consider adopting something similar once he returns home.

The remarks came shortly after Oh embarked on an 11-day, four-legged trip to Europe last Sunday as he vowed to receive inspiration on waterfront development from Britain’s London, Ireland’s Dublin, Germany’s Hamburg and Denmark’s Copenhagen.

Oh, who began his fourth term as Seoul mayor last year, has taken every chance to promote his so-called Great Sunset Han River initiative over the past several months, promising to carry out dozens of riverside projects aimed at creating more leisure space in the capital and attracting tourists.

Some of those projects include the world’s second-largest Ferris wheel tentatively called the Seoul Ring, gondola lifts, observatory decks and floating stages.

“I think the ferries can operate throughout the entire year except when floods occur,” Oh said Monday.

After a ride on London’s River Bus, the Seoul mayor told accompanying reporters that it was fast, quiet and “very pleasant.”

“With a speed like this, I think commuters can go from Jamsil [in southern Seoul] to Yeouido or Sangam [in western Seoul] in just 20 to 30 minutes,” Oh said, suggesting that the city could create about 10 stops along the Han River.

“First, we need to check if the transportation mode can be adopted from a practical and technical viewpoint.”

Riverboat services on London’s Thames River started in the late 1990s. Today, there are over 20 terminals along the river and each boat can carry between 100 and 150 passengers. Seoul Metropolitan Government explained to reporters that there were about 10.4 million users in 2018, with an increasing number of people using the rides to commute.

Oh, who pledged to create gondola lifts on the Han River, initially planned to take a ride on the IFS Cloud Cable Car in London the same day, but the schedule was canceled due to strong winds.

The gondola lifts are one of the most headline-grabbing projects in Oh’s Great Sunset Han River initiative along with the Seoul Ring. The location hasn’t been decided yet, but Seoul Metropolitan Government said in a press release Tuesday that possible candidates were Ttukseom, Jamsil, Seoul Forest and Sangam.

While the gondola lift project will be funded by the private sector, the Seoul city government hopes to install the lifts as high up as 80 meters (262 feet) above the Han River, offering passengers a sprawling view of the capital.

The gondola lift project is scheduled to begin in 2026 and finish four years later.

BY LEE SUNG-EUN, NA UN-CHAE [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]