'Seouldal' Rises Over Yeouido Sky... Voices on Pros and Cons Are 'Balanced'

Seoul City Points Out Advantage of Attracting Tourists with About 20% of Current Passengers Being Pure Foreign Tourists
Some Yeongdeungpo Residents Say "Yeouido Park, a Quiet Living Space, Destroyed by Market Achievements," Voices Differ
?

As the Seoul Dal rises over Yeouido in Seoul, voices discussing its pros and cons are emerging.

On the 7th, a residents' meeting regarding the tethered gas balloon 'Seoul Dal,' which began full-scale operation about 50 days ago at Yeouido Park, was held at the Seoul Dal safety education center.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government explained that currently about 20% of the passengers are pure foreign tourists, and since it operates as a tethered balloon compared to regular hot air balloons, it is much more stable, expressing confidence in the success of the project.

On the other hand, some Yeouido residents are reportedly opposing it. One resident pointed out, "All administrative procedures for the installation of Seoul Dal were rushed without the residents' knowledge," and protested, "It is absurd that only formal consent was obtained through the Seoul city website, and the operation started before holding a meeting now."

.

This residents' meeting was led by National Assembly member Kim Min-seok (Democratic Party, Seoul Yeongdeungpo-gu Eul), who is mentioned as a candidate for the next Seoul mayor, with attendance from Seoul City Council Vice Chairman Kim In-je, Democratic Party floor leader Seong Heum-je, Chair of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee Kim Kyung, among others. Seoul City’s Tourism and Sports Director Kim Young-hwan and Seoul Tourism Foundation CEO Gil Ki-yeon, who are in charge of the project, were also present to respond.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Tourism Foundation explained to the attending Yeongdeungpo resident representatives that Seoul Dal is bringing positive effects in attracting tourists to Seoul and that safety is guaranteed.

In particular, they added that about 20% of the current passengers are pure foreign tourists, and since it operates as a tethered balloon compared to regular hot air balloons, it is much more stable, expressing confidence in the success of the project.

Another resident criticized, "Yeouido Park, which was a peaceful space for residents to contemplate, is being consumed by mayoral priority projects such as the Second Sejong Cultural Center and Seoul Dal," and said, "If there was a plan to drastically change Yeouido Park, a master plan should have been established to persuade the residents, which is the proper administrative procedure."

They also criticized, "The recently established Yeouinaru Station Runners Station only attracted people but did not consider the inconvenience to residents," and added, "There should have been policies to regulate running crews who obstruct pedestrian traffic and run in a threatening manner."

Assemblyman Kim Min-seok said, "Since it has already been created, it is problematic to expect residents to understand blindly," and pointed out, "Above all, transparency to residents is essential in the planning and implementation of city administration."

Regarding these residents' positions, Seoul City Tourism and Sports Director Kim Young-hwan responded, "We will transparently provide materials and strive to continuously create opportunities to explain any shortcomings in the future."

Kim Kyung, Chair of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the Seoul City Council, which oversees projects such as Seoul Dal, said, "Even during last year's Seoul City Council Budget and Accounts Special Committee's budget review, there were many opinions that mayoral priority projects with insufficient prior procedures require thorough review," and criticized, "Despite these criticisms, Seoul City pushed ahead with the project recklessly, disregarding local residents' opinions, which is a matter for reflection."

He added, "While it is important to prepare attractive content to achieve tourism demand, if we do not coexist with residents, it is just spending money and creating problems," and stated, "We will closely examine whether projects under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee’s jurisdiction, including Seoul Dal operation, Runners Station operation, and the establishment of the Second Sejong Cultural Center, are being carried out through democratic methods and procedures rather than administrative convenience."

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