The Han River Bus, Korea's first eco-friendly passenger ferry service on the Han River, has suspended passenger operations just ten days after its official launch due to recurrent mechanical and electrical malfunctions. The ferry, which has attracted significant public interest, will instead shift to a no-passenger pilot phase for approximately a month to stabilize its service.

On September 29, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon issued a public apology during a housing policy briefing at City Hall, addressing the abrupt suspension. “I cannot remain silent about the Han River Bus situation,” Oh stated. “I sincerely apologize to our citizens.” He particularly expressed regret for those who had planned to ride the Han River Bus with family during the Chuseok holiday, saying, “It’s truly unfortunate and I feel sorry for the disruption.”

Mayor Oh explained that, “Within about ten days of operation, several mechanical and electrical failures have occurred, resulting in understandable concerns among citizens. We decided it would be best to suspend operations for now and resume only after ensuring full stabilization.”

Park Jin-young, Director of Seoul’s Future Han River Headquarters, also offered an apology at a separate media briefing regarding the switch to the pilot phase. “We deeply regret causing inconvenience and disappointment to users,” he said. Addressing criticism that the official launch was premature, Park replied, “A six-month test period preceded the launch, so we do not consider it overly hasty. However, we are committed to completing all stress tests within a month. We will conduct sufficient testing to prevent minor malfunctions and the resulting loss of public confidence before resuming full service.”

Park further addressed complaints about backup vessels, noting that replacement ferries at Magok and Jamsil piers were not deployed despite mechanical failures. He clarified that these were electric vessels, being introduced as public transport for the first time in Korea, and thus required additional testing before use. Reflecting on the ten-day trial period, he highlighted a high boarding rate and strong public response, leading to increased internal optimism regarding profitability.

Seoul’s Han River Bus began formal operations on September 18 as the country’s first environmentally friendly ferry on the Han River, but suffered cancellations due to technical problems on September 22 and 26.

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo=Yonhap News