Yeosu Maritime Cable Automotive (X) through The Korea Herald/Asia Information Community
Rachel Linderman, a German resident of Seoul, was thrilled to listen to the information {that a} new gondola raise will open as early as this 12 months, connecting Myeong-dong Station to the highest of Namsan.
This would be the second cable automobile at Namsan, following the primary one which opened in 1961.
Namsan Cable Automotive in Seoul (Seoul Metropolis) through The Korea Herald/Asia Information Community
“When my mother and father go to Korea, I all the time take them there (Namsan through cable automobile). I really like the panoramic views via the big glass home windows, particularly at night time when town lights up,” she mentioned. Noting that on weekends, there are normally lengthy strains to trip the cable automobile, Linderman mentioned the brand new gondola will likely be a reduction for overseas guests hoping to go to one of many metropolis’s hottest landmarks.
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The Seoul Metropolitan Authorities plans to finish the development of the 832-meter-long Namsan Gondola, able to carrying as much as 10 passengers at a time.
Choi Ho-seon, a resident of Yangyang in Gangwon Province, is worked up about one other raise: the Seoraksan Osaek cable automobile, which is able to carry guests to the summit of one of many tallest mountains in South Korea.
“I by no means thought-about taking my mom, who’s in her 80s, to the mountains. As soon as the Seoraksan cable automobile is accomplished, we will certainly take a trip on it,” he mentioned. “As our society ages, the demand for cable vehicles will solely proceed to develop.”
Set to open in early 2027, the Seoraksan cable automobile will cowl a complete distance of three.3 kilometers, touring from Osaek-ri in western Yangyang to the mountain’s summit.
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“Vacationers from Korea and overseas could have unforgettable experiences as they immerse themselves within the breathtaking views of Seoraksan’s beautiful autumn foliage and snowy landscapes from the cable automobile,” mentioned an official on the Gangwon Provincial Workplace.
Preparatory groundwork for the undertaking will start later this 12 months, with completion anticipated by October of subsequent 12 months, in keeping with the provincial workplace.
Additionally in 2027, Busan’s 427-meter-high Hwangnyeongsan, a mountain typically referred to as “the lungs of Busan” because it spans town’s 4 central districts, together with Yeonje-gu, Suyeong-gu, Busanjin-gu and Nam-gu, can even turn out to be dwelling to a cable automobile.
Yeosu led the way in which
South Korea is experiencing a cable automobile growth.
Of the 41 cable vehicles at the moment working nationwide, 17 have been constructed previously 5 years, in keeping with the Korea Transportation Security Authority.
Yeosu, a coastal metropolis in South Jeolla Province, serves as a mannequin demonstrating the advantages of a profitable cable automobile set up.
Town opened the Yeosu Maritime Cable Automotive in 2014, which was the primary marine cable automobile in South Korea and hyperlinks the mainland with Dolsan Island simply throughout the water.
Drawing guests to the spectacular views of the shoreline and surrounding islands from the cable automobile, town has attracted greater than 13 million guests yearly, which led to a revitalization of the tourism business, metropolis officers mentioned.
Wonju, a metropolis in Gangwon Province, can also be hoping to duplicate Yeosu’s success with its newly launched Sogeumsan Cable Automotive. This space already has the nation’s longest pedestrian bridge, which stretches 200 meters throughout a canyon.
Sogeumsan Cable Automotive in Wonju, Gangwon Province. (Wonju Metropolis) through The Korea Herald/Asia Information Community
The cable automobile opened on Feb. 26 with 22 cabins, every touring a 972-meter route within the air. The round-trip journey takes roughly 12 minutes.
Park Hyung-bae, who runs a Korean noodle restaurant close to the mountain space, mentioned, “There have all the time been many vacationers, however because the opening of the cable automobile, I really feel like extra YouTubers and foreigners are visiting. Personally, I plan to take my mother and father on a trip someday.”
‘Extra hurt than good’
Not everybody shares the joy.
Some voice considerations in regards to the environmental threats posed by cable vehicles in-built mountain ecosystems.
“Whenever you go to the cable automobile station, there’s a number of trash due to the vacationers. The noise is insufferable too,” mentioned Jeong Hye-ok, a 57-year-old actual property agent in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.
As an avid hiker and a member of an area mountain climbing membership for almost a decade, she worries about reckless improvement and its affect on the conservation of mountain forests, which cowl about 70 % of South Korean territory.
“I feel Korea might be the one nation that calls a graveyard a ‘sanso’ (mountain grave). A variety of our tradition and artwork got here from mountains and nature. It’s actually unhappy to see our ecosystem getting broken only for cash. This causes extra hurt than good.”
Native environmentalists warn that cable automobile building may threaten the habitats of endangered species.
“It’s estimated that about 300 out of the 1,000 wild goats within the nation dwell in Seoraksan. Building of a cable automobile station on the high of the mountain would break the habitat of those endangered animals,” mentioned Web optimization Jae-chul, a senior ecological activist at Inexperienced Korea United.
“Our mountains are already going through severe threats attributable to local weather change. What the federal government ought to give attention to will not be turning them into vacationer points of interest, however intently monitoring the ecological impacts of local weather change and establishing measures to protect biodiversity.”
Others name for a extra cautious method, noting that a number of cable vehicles are working at a loss, opposite to the financial advantages touted by builders.
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As of 2020, the Songdo Marine Cable Automotive in Busan posted a deficit of 1.039 billion gained, whereas the Cheongpung Lake Cable Automotive in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, logged a lack of 2.36 billion gained, in keeping with regulatory filings with the Monetary Supervisory Service’s digital disclosure system.
