Seoul City Adjusts Completion Period for Yeouido Pier... For Safety Purposes

"Targeting Completion by the End of December"

Seoul City has decided to adjust the completion period of the Yeouido pier to ensure safety.

On the 12th, as daytime temperatures rose above 30 degrees Celsius in most parts of the country, citizens visiting the Mulbit Square at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul cooled off by playing in the water. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

On the 5th, Seoul City stated in a clarification document, "This project involves obtaining a usage permit under the River Act," and added, "A public bidding process is not mandatory for this project." Furthermore, they explained, "The project was promoted through a bidding process to provide fair participation opportunities and to incorporate creative ideas from the private sector," and "Even if the Local Contract Act is followed, a sole-source contract is possible under the temporary special case for single bids."

On the same day, Park Yoo-jin, a Seoul City Council member (Democratic Party of Korea, Eunpyeong 3), claimed during the 4th plenary session of the 326th Seoul City Council extraordinary meeting that there was favoritism in the selection process of the company constructing the Yeouido pier.

In response to the criticism that "there was an announcement stating that all construction of the Yeouido pier should have been completed by February this year," Seoul City stated, "The project period can be adjusted according to the agreement," and explained, "As this is a large-scale pier introduced to the Han River, the design was changed after several reviews to ensure safety."

They continued, "Even if the construction is somewhat delayed, the schedule has been adjusted until December this year to prioritize safety, and additional public contribution conditions equivalent to the delay period have been imposed," adding, "Currently, the substructure of the pier has been completed, and it is scheduled to be launched on the 9th from Tongyeong. It is expected to arrive at the Han River around the 13th of next month." They also noted that the ferry business obtains river usage permits under the River Act independently of agreements with the business operator and renews them periodically.