‘Irresponsible’: Foreigners diving into Seoul’s Han River from a bridge spark concern
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Videos circulating online showed men jumping from the bridge, swimming in the river and eventually making their way out of the water.
PHOTO: AFP
- - Several foreign men jumped from Seoul’s Banpo Bridge into the Han River, sparking online anger and safety worries after videos spread on Oct 7.
- - No injuries were seen, but 119 rescue staff were nearby. Some users called the act “incredibly irresponsible” and feared it could endanger others.
- - Seoul said it cannot punish river jumping directly, but it is patrolling with police until October to stop illegal water leisure and risky swimming.
AI generated
SEOUL – A group of apparently foreign men have stirred controversy after climbing the railing of Seoul’s Banpo Bridge and plunging into the Han River.
In posts circulating on online communities on Oct 7, several videos showed the men jumping from the bridge in the evening, swimming in the river and eventually making their way out of the water.
No accidents or injuries were apparent in the footage, though rescue personnel were seen near the bridge.
The incident drew mixed reactions online, with some raising concerns over the risk of accidents.
“This is incredibly irresponsible. If something goes wrong, it could put many other people at risk. With so many people visiting the area, the authorities should do more to prevent this kind of behaviour,” one user wrote on Threads.
Others took a more relaxed view, noting that urban swimming is a normal part of summer life in some countries.
In Switzerland, for example, people often swim in the Verzasca Valley and leap from its historic stone bridge into the clear waters below – a summer pastime that is featured on the country’s official tourism website.
There is no explicit ban on swimming or diving in the Han River. However, the Water Leisure Safety Act prohibits activities involving water leisure equipment in designated sections of the river, including areas around Yeouido, Banpo and Mangwon.
“We can’t legally punish people just for jumping into the Han River, so all we can do is tell them not to. We sometimes see people entering the river and when our safety patrol officers spot them, they warn them about the risks,” a Seoul city official told a news outlet.
In response to growing activity on the river, the city has been working with the police since April to crack down on illegal water leisure activities and to monitor for risky swimming attempts, with the campaign set to run through the end of October. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK