Category: Seoul

This is a pretty freak fire that has unfortunately taken the life of a Seoul firefighter:

The Seohae Grand Bridge, a major artery connecting southwestern cities and Seoul, was shut down after three of its cables were damaged in a fire Thursday evening.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on Friday that it will suspend use of the bridge through Dec. 24 to replace the cables.

Authorities said one firefighter was killed and two others wounded when they were hit by a snapped cable while battling the blaze.

An official of the ministry said lightning was the cause of the fire.

“Despite the inconvenience, our decision was made for the public’s safety,” the official said at a televised press conference.   [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read the rest at the link.

For ROK Heads living or visiting Seoul you might want to avoid the City Hall area on December 5th as it will likely be the seen of yet more violent protests:

An association that speaks for farmers vowed on Saturday to go ahead with a massive rally planned for next weekend, setting the stage for another clash with police.

The move came after police informed the association composed of farmers earlier in the day that they will ban the group from holding a rally in central Seoul on Dec. 5.

Earlier this week, the association notified police that it planned to hold a rally that could draw some 10,000 participants near City Hall next Saturday.

Police warned that those who organize a rally are subject to punishment if they go ahead with the event despite being banned from holding it. Participants of a rally could also face punishment if they defy police orders to disperse.

Still, the farmers’ association said its members will go ahead with a rally on Dec. 5 as scheduled. It also said it plans to seek a court injunction to overturn the ban imposed by police.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

Looks like most English speakers prefer Hi Seoul to I.Seoul.U… https://t.co/K3eZwVsLxk

— Paul Matthews (@ajosshi) November 28, 2015

Itaewon Reborn https://t.co/42vVbZjahd

— koreabridge (@koreabridge) November 15, 2015

The Mayor of Seoul is defending the city’s new slogan I.Seoul.U by claiming that since it make no sense that it could mean anything:

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will stick to its new slogan, “I.Seoul.U,” Mayor Park Won-soon said Monday.

“Many slogans of cities around the world receive negative feedback at first,” he said during a luncheon with reporters at City Hall. “After a while, I expect the negative reactions will change.”

“Even if we start all over again and come up with a new slogan, it will face some sort of criticism. That cannot be avoided.”

This is the first time that the mayor expressed his opinion about the slogan.

“I.Seoul.U” was selected as the capital city’s slogan on Oct. 28, after beating two other finalists ― “Seoulmate” and “SEOULing.”

“I had expected the slogan would be received positively, but it wasn’t,” Park said.

“I nonetheless believe that the process of selecting the slogan was meaningful because it allowed citizens to participate.”

Addressing the criticism that the slogan is nonsensical and unclear, Park said he believes it is better to leave the interpretation open to the public rather than try to define the meaning.

For example, he noted, the slogan “Incredible India” is a great one, but because its meaning is unchangeable, it can only be used for a short time.

“On the other hand, ‘I.Seoul.U’ can mean anything,” Park said. [Korea Times]

You can read the rest at the link, but the city spent $700,000 on something the mayor admits has no meaning.

It will be interesting to see if this statue does become an iconic symbol for Gangnam:

The signature horse-riding dance move by South Korean rap sensation Psy will be made into a landmark in front of a large shopping complex in southern Seoul, the local district office said Friday.

The sculpture will consist of two fists positioned in the wrist movement of the dance routine from the 2012 music video for the hit “Gangnam Style,” according to the Gangnam District Office. From above, it will look like two hands wrapping around the Earth.

The office plans to place the sculpture near the COEX shopping and exhibition center before the end of the year, aiming to build a landmark symbolic of the area, such as London’s Piccadilly Circus and Chicago’s Cloud Gate.

It will be designed by Hwang Man-seok, an artist belonging to the Visual Information Design Association of Korea.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

Cattle and farming equipment are paraded on downtown Seoul streets on Oct. 28, 2015, ahead of Farmers’ Day on Nov. 11. The parade is also a ritual to wish for the advancement of the agricultural industry. (Yonhap)

I guess a slogan making sense in English was not high on the priority list for Seoul’s new slogan to market the city with:

“I.Seoul.You” has been selected as the capital city’s new slogan.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday that “I.Seoul.You” beat the two other candidates ― “Seoulmate” and “SEOULing” ― to replace its current slogan “Hi Seoul.”

“Seoulmate” won slightly more votes than “I.Seoul.You” in an online poll. However, in an on-the-spot poll held in the evening at Seoul Plaza, all nine experts and 682 out of a total 1,140 citizens voted for “I.Seoul.You,” which beat “Seoulmate” with only 232 votes.

Lee Ha-rin, a Korean student who studies philosophy in college, is the winner of the slogan contest, in which more than 16,000 people participated.

Prof. Kim Yoo-kyung of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, marketing company Playground CEO Kim Hong-tak and Prof. Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women’s University were among the experts.

“It was very meaningful that Seoul citizens participated in the whole process from making to selecting the new slogan,” Seo said.

Kim Min-ki, who was in charge of the project, said that the new slogan will be used to rebrand the city globally.  [Korea Times]

You can read the rest at the link, but many critics have already weighed in on how non-sensical this slogan is. Maybe the Seoul government thinks English gibberish will market well in China to get tourists from there?

For an English slogan for a city this has to be the worst I have heard.  Can anyone think of any city with a worse slogan?

A boy wearing a taekwondo uniform poses for a photo in front of a 13-meter figure of “Robot Taekwon V,” a robot from a popular animation of the same title, during a ceremony in Seoul on Oct. 14, 2015, for the opening of the robot animation-themed museum. “Robot Taekwon V,” the nation’s first science fiction-themed animation released in 1976, was very popular among teens and children. (Yonhap)

Check out the Seoul bamdookaebi Night Market if you are near Yeouido in the nearby future. https://t.co/bJsEOZpiz9 pic.twitter.com/gQ1kf1QghI

— Hiexpat Korea (@HiExpat) October 8, 2015