Visitors to Space Walk enjoy the surrounding scenery from atop the structure. Courtesy of Pohang City

Space Walk, a roller coaster-shaped installation at Hwanho Park in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, celebrated its third anniversary on Wednesday and is set to surpass 3 million visitors by year's end, offering a theme park-like thrill with its towering steel staircase built by POSCO.

The structure, which opened in November 2021, reached 1 million visitors in October 2022, and surpassed 2 million a year later. Space Walk now attracts over 1 million visitors annually.

Last year, it also earned the title of "Korea Tourism Star," recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for its impact on the industry.

POSCO invested 11.7 billion won ($8.6 million) in the creation of the Space Walk and donated it to Pohang.

Designed by renowned German artists Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth, the installation was inspired by their earlier work, "Tiger and Turtle Magic Mountain," in Duisburg, Germany.

Space Walk is seen in this photo, along with its surrounding scenic views. / Courtesy of Pohang City

However, Pohang's Space Walk surpasses its German counterpart in size, stretching 333 meters —113 meters longer— and standing 25 meters tall, 7 meters higher.

Its location atop a coastal hill approximately 50 meters above sea level provides stunning panoramic views of Yeongil Bay.

The Space Walk also contributed to the revitalization of nearby tourist spots.

Hwanho Park, at the heart of the Yeongil Bay Tourism Zone designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2019, benefits from increased traffic to surrounding attractions.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.