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June 17, 2009
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| The ancient palace of Gyeongbok in central Seoul is a major Korean tourist attraction but tour bus drivers find it difficult to find spaces in the crammed parking lots. On Wednesday at 11 a.m., tour buses started to pour in and by 2 p.m., they were lined up in a row in front of the palace. The entire parking zone was full. The line stretched all the way to the entry point of Samcheong-dong, in the central part of the city. One 50-year-old taxi driver, Han Ki-hyuk, said it’s typically a tough drive because of so many buses. “It’s usual for us to drive around the palace until we find a good place to park,” a 46-year-old bus driver Kim Sung-hun from Gumi, North Gyeongsang, said. “I carry tourists to Seoul once or twice a week but whenever I think of parking around the palace I get worried.” A number of tourists flock to the historic site during the peak season between March and June as well as in September and October He said there aren’t enough parking spaces for buses in the morning during these periods. Kim added he has to either waste fuel by circling around waiting for a space to open, or just park on the side of the street and take his chances of getting ticketed. “Out of 10 visits to the site, you can, at most, twice find a place to park. Today I’m lucky to find a space,” said Kim. Bus driver Jung Jin-woo said safety of children who are visiting the attraction is also a concern since they have to get off the bus in a parking lot, not beside the street. Sometimes tourists have no choice but to search around desperately for the bus after ending a tour because buses cannot stay on the street. According to Gyeongbok Palace office, over 25,000 people visit during the peak season daily and between 8,000 and 9,000 at other times. However, the street in front of the palace turns into a parking lot because of a lack of spaces. Currently, there are spaces for 40 vehicles above ground and 190 spaces underground. Buses are only allowed to park above ground. An average of 215 buses a day arrive at the site during the peak season. Even with public parking lots within the Jongno District, the number of spaces for parking is only 72. “When the Culture Ministry completes construction of the art museum on the land where the Armed Forces Combined Hospital stands, we are planning to consult with the ministry to share underground parking lots,” said an official of Seoul Metropolitan Government. But this plan is facing trouble. The Blue House security service is strongly opposed to moving the hospital to another location. The Jongno District Office is also trying to figure out ways to make more spaces for buses. “Since parking within the district is inadequate, we have agreed with Gyeonggi Commercial High School to build a parking zone under the school,” said Park Chan-yong, a senior official of the district office. “Both sides will soon sign an agreement and specific planning for construction will start as early as July.” By Lim Ju-ree, Lee Min-yong [smartpower@joongang.co.kr] |
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