Seoraksan Osaek Cable Car Project Faces Uncertainty Amid Soaring Costs

The Seoraksan Osaek Cable Car project, a venture pursued for over 40 years, is now at a critical juncture due to a dramatic increase in construction costs and safety concerns. Yangyang County is currently undertaking a "Operation Conditions and Demand Analysis" study, with results slated for release in November. This study aims to comprehensively assess the escalating costs and economic feasibility of the project.

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The Korea Transportation Safety Agency has stated that installing worker and cargo cable cars on the same pillar is highly vulnerable to safety issues such as falling cargo, and there are no domestic or international design or operational cases of this kind.

The urgency for this reassessment stems from issues that emerged during construction, which began with a groundbreaking ceremony in November 2023. A required redesign of the temporary cableway, intended for transporting materials and workers, has led to significant cost overruns and project delays. The Korea Transportation Safety Agency has advised against using a "dual-purpose support" system, where the same pillar would support both worker and cargo cable cars, citing potential safety risks like falling cargo.

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Gangwon Province has paid all the amounts it was supposed to pay over three years from 2024 to this year.

Consequently, Yangyang County is proposing to double the number of support pillars from six to twelve. Environmental groups estimate this change alone could increase the total project cost by over 40 billion won, pushing it from the current 117.2 billion won to approximately 160 billion won. This increased financial burden is compounded by the fact that Gangwon Province, a partner in the project, has stated it cannot provide additional funding beyond its committed 22.4 billion won.

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Yangyang County must solve this entirely on its own, and considering the tax revenue situation, I wonder if they can proceed quickly with additional burdens. It seems necessary to consider the issue of economic feasibility.

Gangwon Governor Woo Sang-ho has indicated that the province has fulfilled its financial obligations and suggested that Yangyang County must find its own solutions. He expressed doubt about the county's ability to proceed rapidly given its tax revenue situation and questioned the project's overall economic viability. Jeong In-cheol of the National Action to Protect Seoraksan National Park criticized the escalating costs and delays, calling the current situation a "vicious cycle" and urging that "stopping now is not a failure, but the only decision to prevent a greater failure."

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Adding six more support pillars requires various procedures such as modification permits for the cableway and park projects, and each of these procedures takes time. Construction delays lead to increases, increases lead to procedures, and procedures lead to further delays in a vicious cycle. Stopping now is not a failure, but the only decision to prevent a greater failure.