Gov't to impose partial traffic controls in Seoul for Korea-Central Asia summit
The traffic contol route in Seoul scheduled for Sept. 16 / Korea Times graphic by Jhoo Dong-chan
The Security and Safety Control Team, formed under the Presidential Security Service, said it will impose partial traffic controls in central Seoul on Sept. 16 to ensure the smooth running of the first Korea-Central Asia Summit and the safety of visiting heads of state.
Sowol-ro, the road used most by the visiting leaders' motorcades, will see all lanes in both directions briefly and repeatedly closed roughly six to seven times between noon and 9 p.m. that day. Traffic in some lanes around Euljiro 1-ga, near the summit venue, will also be restricted before and after the meeting.
Ahead of the event, the security team held a traffic coordination meeting with the foreign ministry's preparatory task force, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the Korea Road Traffic Authority to work out measures aimed at minimizing disruption for residents and to coordinate how the public would be informed.
Starting Thursday, the team plans to post traffic control notices on the KT Building's Gwanghwamun Square screen, the Seoul City Hall electronic display and the Presidential Security Service's official YouTube channel.
It is also coordinating with the Foreign Ministry's task force and Seoul police to install roadside signs and issue traffic alerts through navigation apps including T map, Kakao Map and Naver Map.
"Traffic controls are unavoidable to ensure the successful hosting of the Korea-Central Asia Summit, a nationally significant event, and the safety of the visiting dignitaries," the Security and Safety Control Team said.
It asked citizens for their understanding and urged them to use public transportation such as the subway rather than private vehicles during the control period.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.