Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Hangang Bus suspends service again after vessel runs aground near Jamsil
A Han River police boat docks alongside the Hangang Bus vessel stuck in the river near Jamsil dock in Songpa District, Seoul, Saturday. Eighty-two passengers on board were rescued after firefighters and police responded to the scene. Yonhap
By Lee Hae-rin
Seoul’s Hangang Bus service came to an abrupt halt again when one of its vessels ran aground 118 meters from Jamsil dock on Saturday evening. The incident took place less than two weeks after resuming operations following a monthlong service suspension due to repeated breakdowns.
The hybrid-powered ferry, carrying 82 passengers, stopped after striking the riverbed at 8:15 p.m. All aboard were safely evacuated within an hour by fire and police rescue teams. No injuries were reported.
City officials, led by Park Jin-young, head of Future Han River Headquarters, explained that the ferry’s propeller and protective skeg likely scraped the bottom of the riverbed, transferring a shock to the hull.
"The accident occurred close to the dock, and most passengers were seated, minimizing harm," Park said, adding that divers will be deployed to inspect the vessel and riverbed for debris or sediment buildup, which may have accumulated more than usual due to an early dry season and low river flow.
Police investigate the Hangang Bus vessel stranded in the river near Jamsil dock in Songpa District, Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap
City officials confirmed on Sunday that the ferry deviated from its authorized regular path right before the incident. The planned removal of the stranded vessel was delayed due to low water levels.
Additional warnings had emerged earlier in the week on Tuesday, when a rope got caught in a Hangang Bus vessel propeller near Ttukseom, and another captain reported scraping sounds from the riverbed just hours before.
Citing safety, the city immediately suspended all upstream Hangang Bus services between Jamsil and Hannam Bridge through Tuesday for dredging and debris removal. It pledged a thorough route review before reopening services.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon apologized to passengers and citizens through a Facebook post.
"I am sorry for the anxiety and inconvenience caused," Oh wrote, promising a thorough investigation and swift action to address the issue. "Seoul will always prioritize citizens' safety, but safety issues should not be used for political attacks — what's needed is calm review and real improvement," he added, referring to criticisms from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).
Since launching official operations in September, the Hangang Bus service has faced persistent technical problems and public skepticism regarding safety and management of the city’s water-based transit experiment.
In response, the DPK called for a full suspension of the Hangang Bus service, sharply criticizing the city government for prioritizing publicity over passenger safety. The party urged Oh to apologize and urged the city government to publish a comprehensive report on the past 16 safety incidents and overhaul emergency procedures.