Category: Seoul

It will be interesting to see the effect this has on case numbers:

The city of Seoul on Sunday designated this week as a “week of standstill” for nearly 10 million citizens in its latest measure to fight the spread of the new coronavirus in the capital area.

During the “10 Million Citizen Standstill Week,” which runs from Sunday to next Sunday, citizens are advised to remain at home and stay away from social gatherings as much as possible, Seo Jeong-hyup, the city’s acting mayor, said in an online press briefing. 

“This is a time of burden sharing. … Over the next week starting today, I ask you to thoroughly abide by quarantine requirements with a resolution to almost sacrifice your everyday routines,” the acting mayor said.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

To everyone in the greater Seoul area be safe on the roads:

Major highways running across Seoul were partly closed on Thursday, with the first flood alerts in nine years issued for areas near a major bridge on the Han River, as heavy rains pushed up the water level of the river that flows through the capital city.

Several sections of the Dongbu Urban Expressway, Seoul Inner Loop, Olympic-daero and Gangbyeon Northern Highway have been closed to traffic due to the inner city river’s swelled water level, according to the police and the city of Seoul. 

As heavy rains continued to batter the country’s metropolitan and central regions, authorities opened the floodgates of Soyang River Dam and Paldang Dam a day earlier, releasing the waters to empty into the sea through the Han River.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

So how many ROK Heads would want to do this?:

I never step back from a chance to try something new, especially activities that are likely to get my adrenaline pumping.  
   
For someone who dreams about going skydiving one day, the chance to take a walk around Lotte World Tower’s newly opened Sky Bridge and see a miniature-sized Seoul from about 541 meters up (1,775 feet), was one that I could not pass up.  
   
Lotte World Tower is the tallest building in Korea and the fifth tallest in the world.  
   
When I arrived at the elevator that would transport me to the bridge, I was greeted with a promotional video showing two steel peaks connected by an 11-meter-long bridge. The video filled with quick cuts of sky-high views got my heart palpitating. Would I be able to do this?  

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

The Seoul government is saying they will investigate the sexual misconduct allegations against former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon who committed suicide last week. Will see how serious this investigation is, but more details about his conduct is now coming out:

The city government was responding to growing calls to uncover the truth about the allegations and seek justice for its employee, as the police are not expected to conduct an investigation. 

Hwang also said the city will ensure the victim doesn’t suffer any secondary damage. 

“It will be a priority for city officials to prevent secondary damage inflicted on the victim. We will not tolerate city employees who reveal her personal information or make personal attacks.”

Through her lawyer, the victim claimed Park had pushed for unwanted physical contact and made sexual advances toward her, sending her inappropriate photos and text messages for almost four years. 

The victim’s lawyer also said the victim had reached out to the city government for help before reporting the matter to the police, as she was ignored. 

The city government previously said it had not been aware of the allegations before Park’s death. But, that left the victim’s lawyer asking how Park had learned about the police complaint before being officially notified by them. It is illegal for a government official to leak work-related information. The police and Cheong Wa Dae said they hadn’t told Park of the complaint.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

This plan would be disastrous to the various parks and green space around Seoul if approved:

South Korea is considering opening up greenbelt zones in the Seoul metropolitan area to make more land available for housing as part of efforts to help resolve the country’s housing supply shortage in the densely populated area, the transport ministry said Wednesday. 

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it has formed a task force with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Seoul city, Gyeonggi and Incheon regional governments to discuss ways to supply more homes in the capital city and adjacent areas. 

In less than a week, the government has changed its stance toward easing the construction ban in the development restriction areas designated by the country to resolve housing shortage problems.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link, but does anyone still think all of Yongsan Garrison will become a park?

This is odd and hopefully Mayor Park Won-sun is found to be okay:

The mayor of South Korean capital Seoul has been reported missing and search operations are underway on Thursday, police said.

Police officers said they are looking for Mayor Park Won-sun at Seoul’s Sungbuk neighborhood where his mobile phone signal was last detected.

His daughter called police earlier Thursday and said her father has been unaccounted for, the police officers said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media on the matter.

Kim Ji-hyeong, an official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, confirmed that Park did not show up for work on Thursday because of unspecified reasons and canceled all his schedules, including a meeting with a presidential official at his Seoul City Hall office.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link, but according to Yonhap his daughter called police after he “had left home four to five hours ago after leaving words like a will, with his phone currently off.” Totally bizarre and hopefully this doesn’t turn into a Roh Moo-hyun situation.

For some expats living in Seoul you may be getting a check from the City of Seoul soon:

Foreigners living in Seoul will receive a one-time Covid-19 relief payment, a city official confirmed Wednesday.  

During a plenary session Tuesday, the Seoul Metropolitan Council passed a supplementary budget bill that included plans to allocate 33 billion won ($27.4 million) for a program to dole out emergency funds to foreigners.  

But the city has been light on basic details, including the timing and payment amounts.  

Seoul’s decision to provide Covid-19 emergency payments to foreigners came less than a month after Korea’s human rights watchdog, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, issued a policy recommendation to the metropolitan government of Seoul and the provincial government of Gyeonggi not to discriminate against foreigners when providing Covid-19 relief. 

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link.

For people in the Seoul area, here is something to do in the coming weeks:

 The popular nighttime tours of royal palaces in South Korea will resume next week, months after their suspension due to novel coronavirus fears, the cultural heritage authority said Saturday.

The Gyeongbokgung Starlight Tour will start on Wednesday and go through June 8, while the Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour will open from Thursday until June 21, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA).

Tickets for the nocturnal programs are available for purchase at the e-commerce website Auction (ticket.auction.co.kr).

A special program named Gyeongbokgung Saenggwabang, which provides tourists a chance to experience a traditional tea ceremony and enjoy dessert, will start its one-month run on Wednesday.

Music concerts will be also held at the royal palace of Gyeongbok every weekend from May 30 to July 12.

At the same time, the changing of the royal guard ceremony at Gyeongbok Palace already restarted on Wednesday, the administration added.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

It seems just about anything that is not ventilated and cleaned could end up being closed:

In its latest effort to contain the new coronavirus, the Seoul city government on Friday ordered all coin-operated karaoke rooms in the city to suspend business ahead of the weekend.

Under the administrative order which has taken effect, 569 “coin noraebang” will be banned from hosting guests until further notice.

The city government said businesses and visitors that breach the order may face fines of up to 3 million won (US$2,420). It also plans to file compensation suits against them for treatment and quarantine costs.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.