On March 1st, the Han River Bus, a key project of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, resumed full operation. The Han River Bus departed from Yeouido Dock in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. However, an audit by the Board of Audit and Inspection revealed that the actual operating speed of the water transportation vessel did not meet the initial speed standards announced by the city, making it difficult to adhere to the planned schedule.
The audit results, released on the 16th following a request from the National Assembly, examined the ‘Han River Bus and Yeouido Dock Construction Project’. According to the Board of Audit and Inspection, even though Seoul city knew from model ship tests that the expected speed of the vessel was approximately 14.5 to 15.6 knots (26.9 to 28.9 km/h), they publicly announced it as 17 knots (31.5 km/h). Based on these standards, Seoul city advertised that the express route between Magok and Jamsil would take 54 minutes and the regular route 75 minutes. However, simulations conducted by the Board found the actual travel time to be between 64 to 85 minutes for the express route and 78 to 100 minutes for the regular route.
Regarding the project implementation process, the Board of Audit and Inspection pointed out that the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Han River Future Headquarters calculated the total project cost by excluding about 50 billion KRW in private funds for ship purchases, effectively narrowing the scope of the project. Nonetheless, the Board stated that it couldn’t conclusively determine any illegal or unfair acts in the allegations of preferential treatment for specific companies or contract irregularities related to the construction of ships or the Yeouido Dock Project.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government explained that it was difficult to determine the exact speed of the ships during the early stages of the project and that the speed could only be confirmed after the ships were delivered in February last year. Some opposition politicians criticized the timing of the release of the audit results, coming just about three months before local elections, as possibly having political motives. A spokesperson for the Board of Audit and Inspection mentioned that delaying the announcement further could bring it closer to the election, which was taken into consideration.