Sighs Poured Out at Seoul Ring Public Hearing... "Isn't It Just to Appease the Incineration Plant?"

Seoul City to Specify Waste and Noise Measures in Third-Party Announcement
Residents Raise Concerns Over Site Selection and Green Space Damage
City to Address Traffic Congestion Concerns in Future Briefing

Seoul City held a public hearing following a residents' briefing session on the giant Ferris wheel 'Seoulling' planned to be built in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, but residents' concerns continued. There were even criticisms suggesting it might be a 'placation' tactic, referring to the new resource recovery facility (incinerator) being constructed near the Seoulling site.

According to a comprehensive report by Asia Economy on the 24th, a draft strategic environmental impact assessment public hearing for Seoulling was held the previous day at the Seoul World Cup Stadium interview room. Although there were no loud disputes or disruptions, residents' questions continued relentlessly for about 100 minutes.

Perspective view of the Seoul Ferris Wheel. Provided by Seoul City

Before the public hearing, the city partially accepted residents' requests regarding the raised issues in the strategic environmental impact assessment. They promised to specify enhanced waste treatment measures, noise and dust control during construction, and additional green space securing in the third-party announcement for project operator selection. In response to inquiries about the lack of soil contamination investigation for the 'zipline' to be installed within the Seoulling site, an additional investigation will be conducted next month.

However, residents attending the public hearing fundamentally questioned, "Why must the location be in Mapo-gu?" Yoon, a resident who spoke during the hearing, said, "I feel this is a tactic to placate residents regarding the incinerator. I don't understand why they want to build it when residents are opposed. The site selection itself is wrong." There was also an opinion that although Seoulling is part of Mayor Oh Se-hoon's 'Hangang Renaissance' policy, the promotion has not been proactive. Yoon said, "If Seoulling were really that good, either Seoul City or Mayor Oh should have visited residents to strongly promote it, but that has never happened."

There were many demands to move the project site to a flat grassy plaza nearby. This is because if Seoulling is built at the current site, the plantings, including trees planted by citizens as a memorial, would be damaged. According to the draft environmental strategic impact assessment, 3,107 trees could be damaged. One citizen argued, "I think the 3,107 trees absorb about 68 tons of carbon dioxide, partially offsetting pollutants emitted from the incinerator. I believe this plan has a high possibility of infringing on residents' right to survival and environmental rights."

Regarding the tree damage caused by constructing Seoulling in Peace Park, the city expressed a stance to actively compensate. Lim Jong-hyun, Seoul City's Urban Vitality Officer, said, "Damaging the park and impairing its function does not align with Seoul City's administrative direction. We will actively review this during the implementation, design, and maintenance stages to ensure the park can fully serve its role." He added about project promotion, "We will promote the project better and manage it well even after completion."

Meanwhile, the city plans to hold another briefing session on the traffic plan related to Seoulling after selecting the project operator. Although there is no legal obligation to hold a residents' briefing for the traffic impact assessment, the decision was made due to continuous residents' opinions. At the public hearing that day, residents also demanded a traffic impact assessment briefing, saying, "Even now, residents of Sangam-dong suffer from a lack of parking during events at the World Cup Stadium or marathons."