The Han River will get a major makeover as Seoul city government unveiled plans to promote the “Great Han River Project” to create more leisure space that would include gondola lifts and a performing arts center in the capital by 2028 to attract more tourists and provide more convenience to commuters.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Thursday announced the plan, including building the world’s second-largest Ferris wheel “Seoul Ring,” gondola lifts, a pedestrian bridge and a second Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.

Mayor Oh said he hopes to resume “unfinished work” of the Han River Renaissance Project that he pursued when he was mayor in 2007. “I hope this project will transform the Han River into a more abundant leisure facility for the weekend.”

The city will consider installing gondola lifts at major hubs and tourist attractions that require public transportation connections between southern and northern parts of Seoul, the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Exactly where the gondola lifts will be installed has yet to be decided, but one strong candidate is a 1.6-kilometer route connecting Seoul Olympic Stadium in Jamsil, southeast Seoul, with Ttukseom Park in the northeastern part of the capital across the Han River.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government also announced plans to build a second Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in the vicinity of Yeouido Park in the financial district of the capital and transform Jamsu Bridge, which currently crosses the Han River and connects the districts of Yongsan and Seocho, into a pedestrian bridge to create a cultural space.

By Park Je-wan, Kwon Oh-gyun, and Yoon Yeon-hae

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