[News Figures] Giant Lobster Balloon Appears at Seokchon Lake

A giant lobster balloon appeared at Seokchon Lake located in Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. The 16-meter-tall lobster wearing a yellow crown is depicted riding a tube while wearing a blue shirt with a fried egg pattern. It is a work by Philip Colbert, a world-renowned British artist known as the 'next-generation Andy Warhol.'

This is not the first time Seokchon Lake has served as a public art museum. In 2014, the rubber duck 'Rubber Duck' appeared. The giant rubber duck, standing 16.5 meters tall and weighing 600 kg, conveyed a message of peace and hope. This exhibition attracted 5 million visitors over the course of a month.

Since then, works such as Panda+ (2015), Supermoon (2016), Sweet Swan (2017), KAWS: Holiday Korea (2018), Luna Project (2019), and Rubber Duck Returns (2022) have been exhibited here. 'Supermoon' is a work by the American artist duo FriendsWithYou, Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval. The 20-meter diameter and 18-meter tall 'Supermoon' was inspired by the Korean tradition of making wishes while looking at the full moon. Other works displayed at Seokchon Lake include 'Sweet Swan,' consisting of a family of five swans, and 'KAWS,' which expresses escaping from everyday life to forget everything and rest while looking at the world.

Over the past 10 years, approximately 16.48 million visitors have come to see the seven public art projects at Seokchon Lake. Considering that each project lasted about a month on average, this is an impressive achievement.

The transformation of Seokchon Lake is backed by efforts from Lotte. The goal is to develop Jamsil, home to the Lotte World Tower and Lotte World, into a theme park and become a world-class tourist destination. There is also a regional win-win effect. Due to the popularity of the first public artwork 'Rubber Duck,' sales in cafes and other businesses around Seokchon Lake increased by 10% compared to the previous year, and 'Songridan-gil' was established. During each exhibition period thereafter, commercial districts such as Songridan-gil and Bangi Food Alley enjoyed special demand.

Thanks to the joint Seokchon Lake purification project, the local atmosphere has also changed. Seokchon Lake, an artificial lake, receives water from the Han River through water pipes. Because the water circulation was poor, urban pollutants seeped in, causing the water quality to deteriorate. Algal blooms and odors also occurred. As part of its social contribution, Lotte has been conducting a water quality improvement project for Seokchon Lake in cooperation with Songpa-gu Office since August 2021. Using an eco-friendly method employing photocatalysts, the basic water quality was improved, and algal bloom formation was suppressed, enhancing the lake's turbidity and cleanliness. As a result, the transparency of Seokchon Lake increased from 0.6 meters to up to 2 meters. Most items in the water quality environmental standards received a first-grade rating.