Daegu Citizens' Coalition Urges Complete Reconsideration of 30 Billion Won Suseong Lake Floating Performance Hall: "A Wasteful Project That Will Ruin Suseong Lake"

The Daegu Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice stated on September 30, "Controversy has arisen over the construction of the Suseong Lake Floating Performance Hall, a project initiated by Suseong District since 2020 and later taken up by the Daegu city government under former Mayor Hong Joonpyo, just as it is about to enter the detailed design phase." The organization urged, "This project should be reconsidered from the very beginning."

Daegu City and Suseong District plan to invest 30 billion won to build a floating performance hall at Suseong Lake, with a total floor area of 9,875 square meters, 1,200 standard seats, and 1,300 lawn seats, for a total of 2,500 seats. Their stated reason is to transform Suseong Lake, which has become a nationwide tourist destination, by replacing the aging floating stage with a new performance hall, turning Suseong Lake into an 'open cultural retreat,' and establishing tourism infrastructure to elevate it into an international inland tourism destination in Northeast Asia. Suseong District Office describes the floating performance hall as "a venue capable of communicating with the world," "a landmark representing Daegu's next 50 years," and "a world-class cultural tourism healing spot."

Daegu Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice

The Daegu Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice argued, "Contrary to these grand plans and dreams of Suseong District Office, the Suseong Lake Floating Performance Hall could become a white elephant that undermines the strengths and identity of Suseong Lake and Suseong Lake Amusement Park, and wastes public funds. The biggest problem with this project is that it damages Suseong Lake, which is what elevated Suseong Lake Amusement Park to a nationwide tourist attraction." They pointed out, "Suseong District claims that, since Suseong Lake covers an area of 210,000 square meters, the impact of the floating performance hall on Suseong Lake and Suseong Lake Amusement Park is minimal. However, considering the relatively small size of Suseong Lake compared to its reputation and the negative effects that the facility installed on the lake could have on the surrounding environment, visitors' views, and the overall image, this is by no means a trivial issue."

Daegu already has a relatively large number of major performance venues with over 1,000 seats, including Suseong Artpia, which is located very close to Suseong Lake. Daedeok Cultural Center is also not far from this area. If the Suseong Lake Floating Performance Hall is built, Suseong District Office will own and operate two large performance venues, which is uncommon. Taking into account maintenance and management costs, the floating performance hall could become a wasteful burden on taxpayers. Suseong District Office argues that there is no risk of this happening, citing plans to "increase the number of domestic and international tourists and develop performance programs optimized for the floating performance hall," as well as "create unique and differentiated facilities and operate customized performance content." However, simply making such declarations does not guarantee success. If this approach worked, Suseong Artpia could also become a nationwide attraction.

The Suseong Lake Floating Performance Hall could transform Suseong Lake Amusement Park, which is a facility intended to "contribute to residents' welfare by providing entertainment and leisure," into a venue focused mainly on performances, potentially excluding residents who use Suseong Lake for walking and relaxation. The more the floating performance hall is activated, the more this problem could intensify. Considering that the driving force behind making Suseong Lake and Suseong Lake Amusement Park vibrant spaces is citizens' walking and relaxation, this is a serious concern.

In order for Suseong District to build a floating performance hall at Suseong Lake with a total floor area of 9,875 square meters, 1,200 standard seats, and 1,300 lawn seats for a total of 2,500 seats, it must purchase the land from the Korea Rural Community Corporation. However, given that Suseong Lake is public property that should be returned to Daegu citizens from the Korea Rural Community Corporation, Suseong District's partial land purchase sets a very bad precedent. Returning reservoirs that have lost their function as agricultural production infrastructure to the local community and residents is an important issue nationwide.

It is also problematic that Suseong District and Daegu City are unilaterally pushing forward with this project. Suseong District only held a resident briefing session on September 29, when the detailed design phase was nearly complete, and has even kept the investment review documents submitted to the Central Investment Review Committee undisclosed, demonstrating a lack of transparency. This, too, is a serious issue.

The Daegu Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice stated, "We define the construction of the Suseong Lake Floating Performance Hall, promoted by Suseong District and Daegu City, as a wasteful project that will ruin Suseong Lake, and we demand that it be reconsidered from the very beginning."