Seoul breaks ground on Mt. Namsan gondola facility

The Seoul Metropolitan Government on Thursday held a groundbreaking ceremony for gondola facilities that will shuttle passengers from the base of Mt. Namsan to its top in five minutes from as early as 2026.

The gondola will consist of 25 cabins each with 10 seats. They can carry up to 1,600 passengers on the 832-meter-long ride every hour.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held in Namsan Yejang Park, where the aerial lifts' lower platform will be located and about 200 meters from the nearest subway station Myeong-dong Station.

"To climb to the top of Namsan, we have to walk, take a cable car, or take a local bus. A gondola will improve accessibility to Namsan," Oh Seung-min, an urban redevelopment manager at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said at the ceremony.  

Currently, Namsan cable car shuttles between the platform near Myeong-dong Station to the top of Namsan. It has been in service by a private company since 1962.

But its outdated facilities and long wait time caused delays for arrival to and departure from the mountain. The ban on tourist buses to the peak from 2021 added to the inconvenience, particularly for people with disabilities and those carrying strollers.

All profits earned from the gondola's operations will be put into environment conservation projects and cultural and leisure activities for Seoul citizens.

The city of Seoul said it will minimize environmental damage caused by the gondola's construction. To do so, it has launched a committee overseeing the conservation and management of Namsan Park, as well as development in surrounding areas.

In December last year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government officially invited bidders for the construction rights of the gondola. It did not disclose the winner of the project.

Write to Hae-Ryon Choi at haeryon@hankyung.com
 

Yeonhee Kim edited this article.