Category: Seoul

Jongno-gu in central Seoul is blanketed in fine and ultrafine dust on Thursday. (Yonhap)

Having ran in many races I have seen the growing rise in these races which is largely due to the fact they have become easy money makers for the organizations that put them on:

As running becomes one of South Korea’s fastest-growing pastimes, Seoul is facing a new challenge: a marathon calendar packed so tightly that major roads are blocked almost every weekend, prompting widespread complaints that the city’s fitness fever is pushing everyday life off course.

Streets in central districts, from Gwanghwamun and Jongno to the Han River bridges, have been repeatedly shut down for early-morning events that funnel tens of thousands of runners through the city’s most heavily trafficked corridors.

On Sunday, another large-scale race, hosted by a local media group, drew an estimated 30,000 participants. The course required step-by-step traffic control, diverting buses and vehicles throughout the morning.

For many residents and workers, however, it was a growing strain.

“It’s good to run for health, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of ordinary citizens,” said Kim Keon-ho, 72, who found himself rerouted Sunday morning. “The roads are all closed, but there’s little guidance on where to go. Elderly people struggle with the subway stairs, and yet that’s the only option they are told to use. It’s frustrating.” (………..)

Data shows a steep rise in both events and complaints.

National data submitted to Rep. Park Jeong-ha showed that the number of marathons held in Korea surged from 19 events in 2020 and 49 in 2021 to 254 in 2024, with more than 1 million participants, an increase of more than thirteenfold in four years.

With the trend, the frustration grew. According to Seoul city figures, public complaints tied to marathon traffic disruptions grew from 15 in 2021 to 69 in 2022, 498 in 2023 and 461 in 2024. Through September this year, 350 complaints had already been filed.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

It is a bit surprising how many issues this ferry boat keeps having:

Seoul’s Hangang Bus service came to an abrupt halt again when one of its vessels ran aground 118 meters from Jamsil dock on Saturday evening. The incident took place less than two weeks after resuming operations following a monthlong service suspension due to repeated breakdowns.

The hybrid-powered ferry, carrying 82 passengers, stopped after striking the riverbed at 8:15 p.m. All aboard were safely evacuated within an hour by fire and police rescue teams. No injuries were reported.

City officials, led by Park Jin-young, head of Future Han River Headquarters, explained that the ferry’s propeller and protective skeg likely scraped the bottom of the riverbed, transferring a shock to the hull.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

This is an interesting way to discourage foreigners from being a drain on public services:

A bill recently submitted to the Seoul Metropolitan Council to apply “reciprocity” to welfare and support programs for foreign residents has sparked controversy over potential discrimination.

Thirty-three council members from the conservative People Power Party submitted the proposal on Oct. 20, calling on the city government to “review reciprocity when implementing financial, education, housing and transportation support policies for foreigners.”

If passed, the ordinance would only allow foreign residents to receive city-funded benefits if their home countries offer comparable support to Koreans living there.

The draft further stipulates that foreign residents could be excluded from support programs if Korean nationals face discriminatory treatment or receive unequal benefits in the resident’s home country.

The proposal includes exceptions. Refugees requiring humanitarian protection, foreign nationals covered under bilateral or international agreements, as well as business owners and “skilled workers” would remain eligible for support regardless of reciprocity. The proposal did not say how skilled workers would be defined.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

It did not take long for these new water buses to break:

Seoul city will suspend passenger services on its new waterborne public transportation system from Monday, just 10 days after its official launch, following a series of technical malfunctions.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Sunday that the Hangang Bus will switch to trial runs from Monday until at least the end of October, aiming to enhance stability and safety for its passengers. Throughout the trial period, buses will run according to their timetables, but without passengers on board.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

For those living in Seoul there is a civil defense drill scheduled for this week:

An anti–air raid evacuation exercise will take place across Seoul at 2 p.m. on Wednesday as part of civil defense drills designed to strengthen public response capabilities in the event of missile launches or other national emergencies.

When the air raid siren sounds at 2 p.m., citizens will be required to evacuate to the nearest shelter or underground safe facility and remain there for 15 minutes.

Vehicles traveling in restricted traffic zones, including Sejong-daero in central Seoul, must stop and pull over to the side of the road, remaining stationary for five minutes.

The air raid warning will be lifted at 2:20 p.m.

KBS World

You can read more at the link.

I think the article meant Mt. Surak not Mt. Seorak. Mt. Surak is the large mountain that the old Camp Stanley in Uijeongbu is located at the base of. Mt. Surak is definitely a great place to escape the hustle and bustle of Seoul:

A new forest retreat has opened on the slopes of Seoraksan in northern Seoul, offering city dwellers a rare chance to unplug in nature without leaving the city.

Surak Hue, which officially opens Thursday, is Seoul’s first public forest lodge built within city limits. The 23.1 billion won project ($16.7 million) was jointly developed by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Nowon-gu over seven years.

Located in Nowon-gu’s Sanggye-dong neighborhood, Surak Hue is built across 9,800 square meters of woodland and features 25 rooms in 18 buildings.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

I don’t get what people find so great about Squid Game, but obviously some people really love it to justify holding a parade in Seoul to promote its third season:

“Squid Game” swept through Seoul on Saturday night as a large-scale parade featuring towering character installations and figurines from the Netflix megahit marched through the heart of the city, drawing crowds of eager fans along Sejong-daero.

Co-hosted by Netflix and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the parade kicked off at around 7:50 p.m., about 20 minutes behind schedule. Held to celebrate the premiere of the show’s third and final season, which debuted on Netflix on Friday, the procession traveled from Gwanghwamun to Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul City Hall.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.