Category: Seoul

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.

It looks like Korea may be in for a very snowy winter season this year:

The heaviest snowfall for November in 117 years blanketed Seoul and the surrounding regions Wednesday, causing injuries, disrupting traffic and cutting off power supplies, as authorities are on high alert for more snow later this week.

As of 3 p.m., the capital city had received 18 centimeters of snow, marking the biggest snowfall in November since modern weather observations began in 1907, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).

The new record coincided with the first snow of the season in Seoul.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

That is a question the Korea Times was asking people recently in Itaewon:

Nearly two years have passed since a deadly crowd disaster during Halloween weekend shocked the world on Oct. 29, 2022. That traumatic event led to 159 deaths and left permanent scars in central Seoul’s multicultural Itaewon area. As Halloween 2024 approaches, many are questioning whether the neighborhood will see a return to what was once one of the most vibrant and profitable weekends for local businesses.

Yet business owners and event organizers in the area said they are not yet prepared to resume Halloween celebrations as they did in the past.

“I think Halloween is naturally going to be slightly toned down for a while, particularly in Itaewon,” Ali Zahoor, co-organizer of Seoul Drag Parade, said.

“Seoul Drag Parade has a couple of Halloween-themed shows planned,” Heezy Yang, another co-organizer, added. “But we tried to choose dates and locations for them cautiously and respectfully, considering what happened in Itaewon.” (…………..)

“It hasn’t been discussed yet because we’re still a while away,” he added, “but I imagine everybody is sort of waiting to see what everyone else does, and talk to the other bar owners — ‘What are you planning on doing?'”

Last year, there was a widespread fear among foreign residents of Korea, as well as Itaewon business owners and anyone else who enjoys Halloween, about being singled out and made out to seem insensitive over Halloween.

Once again, Walsh acknowledged this fear is still a concern this year.

“Nobody wants to be in the media at the club,” he said. “We know that the wounds are still sore with the families, and I’m sure the media are gonna be looking for somebody that’s sticking out. And as a foreigner, I don’t want to be sticking out. Even the Koreans don’t want to stick out either.”

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

I don’t think a wild boar wandering onto the grounds of Changdeok Palace should be considered a “rampage” as described in this article:

A view of Changdeok Palace in Jongno District, central Seoul [JOONGANG PHOTO]

A wild boar went on a rampage at tourist destination Changdeok Palace, a Unesco World Heritage site, and was later killed on Tuesday. 
  
The Changdeok Palace Management Office killed a wild boar around Seonwonjeon Hall in the rear garden of the palace grounds at around 1 p.m. Tuesday, working together with a wild boar capture team, according to the National Heritage Service. 
  
The wild boar was estimated to be about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) long and weighed 90 kilograms (198 pounds). 
  
The animal was first discovered through CCTV footage on Sunday by the Changdeok Palace Management Office, and the case was reported to emergency authorities who conducted a search. Jongno District officials and hunters tracked the wild boar’s movements, but were initially unable to find the animal.  
  
A backyard tour of the palace scheduled from 10 a.m. that day was halted, and search operations continued on Monday, a regular day off for the palace. 
  
The management office and capture team members ran another operation at 11 a.m. Tuesday using hunting dogs, finding and killing the wild boar about two hours later.

Joong Ang Ilbo

You can read more at the link, but I have hiked all over Korea and have never seen a wild boar and here one shows up in the middle of Seoul.