Photo: Han River Bus. Credit: City of Seoul.
In his nine years as the mayor of Seoul, O Se-hun 오세훈 has proposed numerous water-related projects for the city, most of which have failed to make any sort of splash. On September 18, after spending KRW 92.6b (USD 66m) on the project since 2023, O unveiled the Han River Bus 한강. The bus, which will cost a projected KRW 20b per year against a projected KRW 5b in ticket revenues, will cover a distance of 28.9 kilometers along the Han, which bisects Seoul. Among early reviewers, the mood is anything but buoyant.
Despite city government’s attempts to position the river bus as an alternative means of intracity transportation, the first boat of the day sets off at 11 a.m., making it unsuitable for commuters. The boat also takes over two hours to cover its route, slower than a bicycle ride along the river. And just three days after the launch, the river bus had to suspend operations after the release of water from the nearby Paldang Dam 팔당댐 raised the river level too high for the boat to pass under the Han River’s numerous bridges.
O, one of the perennial conservative front-runners among prospective presidential candidates, has launched many flashy projects along the Han River. Virtually all of them sank like stones. The Sevit Islets 세빛섬, three artificial islands hosting an art gallery and an outdoor park featured in Avengers: Age of Ultron, require constant infusions of money to stay afloat, both financially and literally. The Han River previously had a water taxi, but it shut down in 2024 due to low ridership.
