Kim Rahn is the managing editor of The Korea Times. Since joining the company in 2003, she has covered various beats including the presidential office, Seoul city government, the Bank of Korea and the tourism industry. In 2014, she won the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) award for her coverage of the ordeals of migrant women in Korea.
Seoul to sell ‘Han River Renaissance’ vessel
By Kim Rahn
Seoul City has made a final decision to sell a ship which was initially built as part of former Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s “Han River Renaissance” project.
Officials said Tuesday that they finalized the sale plan of the vessel, named the Han River Ara, following new Mayor Park Won-soon’s approval on Sept. 20.
The ship was built by the city government two years ago at a cost of 11.2 billion won under Oh, who planned to operate cruise ships between Yeouido in Seoul and the West Sea, despite opposition from the city council and civic groups.
The former mayor not only built the 688-ton vessel but also renovated Yanghwa Bridge to allow large ships to pass under it, spending a further 60 billion won.
But the Han River Ara operated for only about 10 days due to a lack of demand and other problems such as repair work because of a leak.
After Park’s inauguration, the municipality decided to sell the Han River Ara, because the more the city operated the ship, the more losses it was likely to suffer.
“We had procedural problems and other issues which made the sale difficult, but now it is almost finalized. The city council will pass the bill for the sale in November,” an official said.
The Korea Appraisal Board will estimate the value of the ship and the city will collect bidders. “Several travel companies and yacht firms are interested. The final sale may take place next February or March,” he said.
A city council member said, “Keeping the ship will only increase the financial burden. The city government should sell it immediately a purchaser is decided.”