Instead of Opera House, 'Complex Cultural Space'... Seoul City to Conduct Audit on 'Nodeul Island Project'

After the city evaluation office reports to the mayor, an audit decision is made
During Mayor Oh's previous term, plans for an opera house and symphony hall costing billions were made... ultimately canceled
Former Mayor Park Won-soon transformed the site into a performance hall, plant workshop, and natural ecological forest

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is auditing the 'Nodeul Island Project,' a complex cultural space developed through a public contest by former Mayor Park Won-soon, after his own large-scale plans for an opera house during his previous term were scrapped.

According to Seoul City on the 20th, the Audit Committee plans to conduct a comprehensive audit this month on the process and operational status of the Nodeul Island complex cultural space project initiated by former Mayor Park. The Audit Committee has notified the relevant departments and commissioned companies of the audit plan and requested materials.

The audit reportedly gained momentum after the City Evaluation Office discovered issues related to the Nodeul Island project and reported them to Mayor Oh. The audit will take place over 20 days from the 23rd to September 17th, involving a team of seven members, including one audit team leader. The scope of the audit includes the appropriateness of the Nodeul Island complex cultural space development, operational status, and the selection of operators.

There is speculation that this audit is influenced by the history of Mayor Oh’s previously attempted projects, such as the construction of an opera house, which were ultimately canceled. The original project, which included a 1,500-seat Nodeul Island Opera House and a 1,900-seat Symphony Hall, was promoted from 2004 when former President Lee Myung-bak served as Seoul Mayor and was part of Oh’s Yeoksam project called the 'Hangang Renaissance.'

However, the project was shelved and eventually scrapped in 2011 after Mayor Oh stepped down, as it failed to gain city council approval due to concerns over the multi-billion won budget, questionable feasibility, and potential traffic issues.

After being inaugurated through a by-election, former Mayor Park formed the 'Nodeul Island Forum' to explore utilization plans and, through a public contest, developed the area into a complex cultural space featuring a popular music performance hall, fashion studios, plant workshops, and a natural ecological forest. A Seoul city official stated, "Issues have been raised regarding the Nodeul Island project," adding, "This audit is not being conducted specifically because it was a former mayor’s project."

In particular, since this audit plan emerged after Mayor Oh recently intensified criticism of solar power projects initiated during former Mayor Park’s administration and announced plans to criminally prosecute some closed businesses, there is speculation that this marks the start of a full-fledged effort to 'erase Park Won-soon.' Mayor Oh pointed out on his YouTube channel, "As cooperatives that received subsidies disappear, the responsibility is being covered by citizens’ budgets," calling it "close to fraud."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.