Oh Se-hoon: “MOLIT is the powerful backer behind Namsan cable car’s 60-year monopoly”

[Financial News] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon strongly criticized the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) over delays to an amendment to the enforcement decree needed to install the Namsan Gondola. He said MOLIT had already acknowledged the need for regulatory changes and completed the legislative notice, yet was still putting off the amendment.
On the 12th, Mayor Oh posted a message on his Facebook titled “MOLIT: The solid backing behind the cable car’s 60-year monopoly,” saying, “If the cable car monopoly that has lasted more than 60 years continues as it is, the responsibility lies entirely with MOLIT.”
The remarks came after MOLIT issued a rebuttal in response to the Seoul city government’s criticism of delays to the enforcement-decree amendment related to the Namsan Gondola. MOLIT explained that positions differed sharply because the relevant regulations applied uniformly to urban natural parks across the country.
In response, Mayor Oh criticized MOLIT, calling it “an excuse that even MOLIT itself would be embarrassed to read again,” and saying it “doesn’t add up.”
According to Mayor Oh, in March last year, the Seoul city government asked, through the Office for Government Policy Coordination, for relevant regulations to be eased so the Namsan Gondola could be installed. MOLIT accepted a plan to relax height restrictions only for track facilities and disaster-prevention facilities serving the public interest, and completed the legislative notice last summer.
Mayor Oh pointed out, “If this were something that warranted hesitation because of its impact nationwide, MOLIT should not have accepted the Seoul city government’s proposal or issued the legislative notice in the first place.” He added, “It completed all the procedures, held onto the final stamp for more than a year, and now says it can’t be done because it’s a nationwide matter.”
He continued, “If that was the case, why issue the legislative notice at all?” He argued, “While MOLIT delays the process with contradictory excuses, not a single part of the monopoly problem that has persisted for more than 60 years has been resolved.”
He also emphasized the inconvenience faced by residents and tourists visiting Namsan.
Mayor Oh explained, “Nearly 12 million people visit Namsan each year, and residents have to start by standing in a long line just to go up and down once. On weekends, they have to wait one to two hours for the cable car and 40 to 50 minutes for the shuttle bus, and the bus queues routinely stretch well over 100 meters.”
He added, “For tourists visiting Seoul on a tight schedule, that wait means money; for residents who have barely managed to set aside one day on the weekend, that time is as precious as gold. People with disabilities who use wheelchairs cannot even board the cramped cable cars.”
He again emphasized that installing the Namsan Gondola was an alternative intended to end the existing cable car’s long-term monopoly.
Mayor Oh said, “The MOLIT minister said the purpose of revising the Track Transportation Act was to correct long-term monopolies.” He argued, “The way to end that monopoly on Namsan is the Namsan Gondola, which the Seoul city government is already preparing.”
He continued, “Why amend the law to correct the monopoly if you’re going to block that path?” He criticized MOLIT, saying, “Its current stance is no different from actively helping the cable car operator continue its monopoly for several more years.”
Mayor Oh urged, “Whether at the central or local level, government administration should stand alongside the public. MOLIT should stop making excuses and finalize the enforcement-decree amendment immediately.”

[email protected] Lee Seol-yeong Reporter