Greedy but Not Even Close to Lee Myung-bak’s Abilities… Oh Se-hoon’s “Han River Bus” Halted After Just 10 Days
The project selection has also drawn controversy.
[Choice Times=Bosik Choi, Publisher]
Former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak rode the Cheonggyecheon restoration project all the way to the presidency. Current Mayor Oh Se-hoon, it seems, harbored similar ambitions with the Han River.
But while his ambitions may have been big, did Oh’s intellect and capability fall far short of Lee’s? His much-touted “Han River Bus” service was suspended just ten days after its launch. On September 29, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it would switch the service to a one-month “trial run without passengers” for safety checks.
A project that devoured taxpayer money and was hyped as if it opened up a whole new world collapsed within ten days amid a string of accidents. It is likely to go down as a classic case study in showcase-style, exhibitionist administration.
The problems began from day one. The opening ceremony on September 18 was rained out. By the third day, operations were halted again due to Paldang Dam’s water discharge. That was the first warning sign: a so-called “commuter bus” that could not operate in heavy rain, strong winds, fog, snow, or ice. That makes it not public transit, but a glorified sightseeing cruise. Oh’s boasts about a “commuting bus” quickly rang hollow.
On September 22, the Han River Bus stalled for 20 minutes mid-river due to a rudder signal failure, forcing passengers to disembark at Ttukseom. Minutes later, another vessel was canceled at Jamsil Pier after a power system malfunction. On September 26, another rudder failure occurred.
The city has poured roughly ₩92.6 billion ($67 million) into the project, though some estimate as high as ₩150 billion. Costs included vessel construction, infrastructure upgrades, pier installations, safety systems, and accessibility improvements—though exact details remain undisclosed.
Fundamentally, the Han River Bus is unsuitable as public transit due to its poor accessibility and speed. Yet the city classified it as “public transportation,” granting it taxpayer subsidies under Seoul’s quasi-public bus system. In 2023 alone, Seoul injected over ₩890 billion into subsidizing bus operators, covering deficits when fares fall short of costs. For the Han River Bus, the shortfall will be even greater.
Under Seoul’s new “Climate Companion Card”—a commuter pass allowing unlimited public transit for ₩62,000 a month—the Han River Bus was also included. Riders could pay just ₩5,000 extra for unlimited access to the river bus, despite its high per-ride fare of ₩3,000. Annual operating costs are estimated at ₩20 billion, with projected revenues of only ₩5 billion.
The project selection has also drawn controversy. The city awarded vessel construction to a startup with no prior shipbuilding experience and no shipyard. The firm reportedly received over ₩20 billion in advance payments yet failed to deliver even one boat on time, delaying the launch by over a year.
Even if operations resume after safety checks, the underlying problems remain.
The project reportedly originated after Oh Se-hoon visited London in 2023 and rode the Thames River “River Bus.” He then branded the Han River Bus as a centerpiece of his “Great Han River Project.” But with next year’s local elections looming, critics say he may have dug his own political grave.
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