Seoul’s Han River Accident: A Wake-Up Call for Oh Se-hoon’s Controversial Han River Bus Project?

Translation result.

The Democratic Party called the sightseeing boat that ran aground near Banpo Bridge a grave warning about Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s Han River \”bus\” project and urged officials to reconsider running the Han River buses.

On March 29, Lim Se-eun, the Democratic Party’s senior deputy spokesperson, said in a statement that the accident represented a serious warning and a tangible threat to Mayor Oh’s Han River Bus initiative. She argued that proposing a form of public transit to carry tens of thousands of people each day along waterways so treacherous that even private tour boats lose their way and stall is nothing more than Mayor Oh’s reckless overreach.

Lim added that Mayor Oh should immediately suspend Han River Bus operations and all waterborne transport services and launch comprehensive safety inspections. She said officials must consider both structural remedies and the possibility of permanently canceling the project.

Democratic Rep. Ko Min-jung wrote on Facebook, \”Another accident. We must stop before a larger one occurs.\” She called for experts to reassess riverbed conditions and to reexamine vessels for structural defects, then develop concrete solutions.

Ko also warned Mayor Oh and People Power Party city councilors: \”Just wait. You should prepare to face investigations in your capacity as private citizens.\”

Democratic members of the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee filed charges against Mayor Oh last October, accusing him of breach of trust. They said Seoul Housing & Communities Corporation (SH) loaned 87.6 billion KRW (65.7 million USD) to the private company Han River Bus Co. without securing collateral, which they described as a clear breach of trust.

Jeong Won-o, a Democratic primary candidate for Seoul mayor, also demanded that Mayor Oh reconsider the Han River Bus operation. Spokesperson Park Kyung-mi said in a statement that citizens’ lives are more important than a mayor’s political ambitions and urged a full reevaluation of the Han River Bus project, which she called riskier than the sightseeing boats.

Chan Hyun-il, a Democratic lawmaker supporting Jeong’s campaign, wrote on Facebook that the administration’s showy Han River development prioritized appearances over public safety. He said the accident was, in some respects, foreseeable and labeled Mayor Oh \”truly incompetent.\”

The sightseeing boat became stranded on the riverbed near Banpo Bridge at about 8 p.m. the previous evening. The crew attempted to restart the engines to free the vessel, but that produced smoke. There were roughly 300 passengers on board; firefighters and police moved them onto rescue boats and ferried them to shore.