“The kids are startled” vs. “One last memory” ... Motorcycles and sports cars flock to car-free Jamsu Bridge the night before [What do you think?]

[Financial News] On the final night before Seoul’s Jamsu Bridge was to be closed to all vehicles, groups of motorcycles and sports cars reportedly descended on the bridge and sped through the night with deafening roars, prompting an ongoing online debate.
According to Channel A on the 26th, from the night of the 24th until dawn on the 25th, both sides of the road on Seoul’s Jamsu Bridge were packed with convoys of motorcycles and sports cars. Their deafening roars echoed in every direction, causing a major disturbance around the bridge.
The released footage showed dozens of motorcycles lined up on Jamsu Bridge and a procession of passenger cars and sports cars lined up with their headlights on. Some drivers waved at motorcycles coming from the opposite direction or stretched their arms up over their convertibles.
They reportedly came out saying they wanted to cross the bridge one last time before it was closed to traffic. The round-the-clock exhaust noise and shouting kept nearby residents from sleeping, and noise complaints reportedly flooded in to the police. One person lamented the disturbance, saying, “The noise was so loud that I saw even children getting startled again and again.”
After the news came out, netizens expressed mixed reactions. Some voiced strong objections, saying, “For nearby residents, this is extremely stressful” and “Regulations on exhaust noise should be tightened further.”
Others, however, said, “Jamsu Bridge is like a sacred place of memories for motorcycle enthusiasts, so it’s only natural to want to visit when we can no longer ride there”; “They’re just trying to make one last memory before it’s closed, so the criticism is excessive”; and “They weren’t driving recklessly, and it’s going too far to take issue even with the culture of greeting one another.”
Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Government completely banned vehicle traffic on Jamsu Bridge starting at midnight on the 26th and began work on creating Seoul’s first pedestrian-only bridge over the Hangang River. It plans to develop the bridge as a cultural and recreational space and unveil it as a new attraction in the second half of next year.

[email protected] Seong Min-seo Reporter