Category: Seoul

As I have long said, I never believed the Yongsan Park plan was going to survive the pressure from developers in Seoul. There is just too much money to be made from developing the prime real estate in the middle of Seoul. The Yongsan Park is likely going to end up being much smaller than originally planned:

A senior presidential aide on Wednesday said housing development on part of land set aside for a park in central Seoul could help South Korea tackle the former US military base’s costly soil cleanup, while putting a vast tract of prime land to use.

The proposal has emerged as a contentious part of the Lee Jae Myung administration’s Aug. 13 housing supply policy, as the government seeks to accelerate the construction of homes in central Seoul to stabilize the housing market.

The Lee administration is considering public rental and specialized housing for young people and newlyweds on parts of the Yongsan Park site, but the idea has drawn opposition from the Seoul city government, Yongsan District Office and residents.

Opponents argue that the land should be preserved as a symbolic national park and a rare green space in central Seoul after more than 120 years of foreign military presence, saying that once housing is built there, it cannot be turned into green space.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

The next time I am in Seoul I will need to go and check out this church:

There is a church in Seoul with no visible cross marking the exterior. Visitors looking only at the facade cannot immediately discern whether the brick structure is a church, a Buddhist temple or a school. A short walk from Dongdaemun History and Culture Park intersection toward Jangchung Gymnasium reveals a fortress-like brick building supported by roughly 10 external buttresses. The structure stands in stark contrast to conventional Korean churches signaled by ubiquitous red neon crosses.

The building is a seminal work by modern Korean architect Kim Swoo-geun (1931–1986). Architectural historians consider the church one of his greatest masterpieces, alongside the architecture firm Space’s former Jongno District headquarters — currently a commercial building. The church has long served as an under-the-radar architectural destination, though entry to the main sanctuary remained restricted to congregation members.

Starting in July, Kyungdong Presbyterian Church has opened public tours. The official tours allow visitors to explore the main sanctuary and an upper chapel originally built without a roof. Experiencing the interior is essential to appreciating the full depth of the unique architecture of this remarkable building.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

The DPK is claiming that residents in Seoul are not seeing the benefits of the tourism boom and thus why a tax on foreign tourists is needed. This is a fabrication because all those tourists are staying in Seoul hotels, restaurants, and shopping at the stores there. This is all economic activity that is being taxed that benefits the residence of Seoul already:

The increasing number of international tourists visiting Korea has prompted calls to review the introduction of a tourist tax to cover local government expenses to address problems resulting from overtourism.

The idea was floated recently by Lee Dong-hyun of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), a candidate for head of Jung District in central Seoul, with party leaders also supporting the suggestion.

Lee has made an international tourist tax a centerpiece of his campaign pledges, promising to turn the tourism boom into benefits for residents.

“Jung District is the most visited district in Korea among foreigners, yet the burden of waste and noise falls entirely on residents,” Lee said during a Sunday campaign rally. “But not a single benefit from that prosperity flows back to our residents. I will absolutely open the floodgates of our district’s development through the introduction of a foreign tourist tax.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but this is typical politics to where you propose a tax against people that have no say in it to appear to benefit the people that are voting for you. Over time the politicians continue to increase the tourism tax for more easy money. However, the benefit over time will collapse when international tourists don’t want to visit Seoul any more because it becomes too expensive.

My big question is who is considered a tourist? Is it only foreigners or does it include someone from Busan taking the train to spend a weekend in Seoul?:

For Chong Won-o, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s Seoul mayoral candidate, the city’s tourism boom is testing its ability to manage its own popularity, with complaints of tourist overcharging beginning to undercut its global appeal.

Seoul has rapidly emerged as a new hotspot for international tourists in recent years, drawing visitors with its blend of cultural richness and hypermodern energy, as reflected in Netflix hits such as “KPop Demon Hunters” and “Made in Korea.”

But that rise has come with a hidden cost: A mismatch between surging demand and limited local capacity has created room for some vendors to charge arbitrary or inflated prices for goods and services.

Chong, who is campaigning ahead of the June 3 local elections, said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Friday that managing the imbalance through a new pricing strategy could be key to the long-term sustainability of tourism in South Korea’s capital.

“It is just a raw concept for now, but we may introduce peak season rates for tourists, aligning with the global trend in major tourist destinations,” Chong said at his election campaign office in Jung-gu, Seoul. “Otherwise, Seoul could face severe criticism for overcharging tourists.”

Rather than cracking down on vendors here or overlooking their transgressions, Chong said a two-tier pricing system for tourists during high season in sectors beyond accommodation could alleviate concerns about overtourism in the city.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

As the war drags on expect more measures like this to be implemented:

Suwon Urban Development Corporation employees stage a publicity campaign at Jangan-dong Public Parking Lot in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. (Yonhap)

Starting Wednesday, Seoul will roll out a “1-in-5” parking system in more than half of its public parking lots, meaning drivers can only park on certain days depending on their license plate numbers, city officials said Tuesday.

The move comes after the government raised the national oil resource security alert to “warning” and introduced emergency measures nationwide.

Under the system, vehicles with plate numbers ending in 1 or 6 will be barred on Mondays, 2 or 7 on Tuesdays, 3 or 8 on Wednesdays, 4 or 9 on Thursdays, and 5 or 0 on Fridays. The measure will not apply on weekends or public holidays.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

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.