Bo-eun leads the digital content team. She has covered foreign affairs, North Korea, tech, economy and gender issues at The Korea Times. She did a short stint at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, where she obtained a new perspective on news production and life. Small sources of joy for her are lounging in the sun, having a good latte and swimming.
What went wrong with Hangang Bus?
A Hangang Bus heads toward a dock in Seoul's Yeouido, Sept. 21. Yonhap
By Kim Bo-eun
The minds behind the Hangang Bus may have envisioned the project becoming something akin to Hong Kong's iconic Star Ferry. Locals in Korea and travelers from abroad may have set plans to enjoy the ferry ride over the Chuseok holidays. However, only 10 days after setting sail, Sept. 18, the Seoul government announced it would suspend passenger services for a month.
The Hangang Bus operates a 28.9 kilometer route that spans seven stations — Magok, Mangwon, Yeouido, Apgujeong, Oksu, Ttukseom and Jamsil. The plan was to operate 14 times a day from 11 a.m. through Oct. 9. Starting Oct. 10, the Seoul government intended on increasing the number of trips to 30 per day, starting at 7 a.m. on weekdays and 9:30 a.m. on weekends.
Citizens were eager to board the new form of transportation, with 4,361 passengers flocking to the ferry on its first day. But just days after its official launch, the ferry headed for Jamsil stood idle for 20 minutes from around 7 p.m. due to a rudder malfunction, leaving 114 passengers stranded. Around 30 minutes later the ferry headed for Magok departing at 7:30 p.m. failed to depart due to electrical glitches involving battery charging. The 77 passengers eventually disembarked the ferry. Another rudder malfunction occurred on Sept. 26.
Following multiple technical glitches, the local government stated it would operate the ferry without passengers through Oct. 31.
Did Hangang Bus launch before it was ready?
The frequent mechanical glitches left citizens questioning whether the ferry had undergone sufficient preparations and testing before its launch. In a survey released earlier this month by the Democratic Party of Korea's Rep. Lee Hae-sik, 57.8 percent of respondents agreed that the Hangang Bus project was initiated too hastily. The Seoul government said a 6-month test period preceded the launch, and pledged to fix technical issues over the one-month suspension period.
For commuting or tourism?
From Magok to Jamsil, the regular route takes 127 minutes while the express route takes 82 minutes. The subway, meanwhile, takes around 70 minutes. The official travel time released by the Seoul government increased from 75 minutes for the regular route and 54 minutes for the express route that authorities promoted before the ferry's launch.
In the same survey released by Rep. Lee's office, only 26.2 percent of respondents viewed the Hangang Bus as a means of commuting. Regarding the purpose of the ferry, Park Jin-young, head of the Future Hangang Project Headquarters, said "What matters is that figures back the demand for ferry operations — it is less about whether the ferry was launched for commuting or tourism," at a briefing on the Hangang Bus, Sept. 29.
Despite the controversy, Seoul Mayer Oh Se-hoon is confident about the Hangang Bus. "Just as it is difficult to imagine Seoul without Cheonggye Stream, in two to three years, it will be difficult to imagine the Han River without the Hangang Bus," Oh said in a talk with former president and Seoul mayor Lee Myung-bak in a video released Saturday.