| Seoul's outdoor swimming pool in Ttukseom / Korea Times file |
By Kim Se-jeong
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is in a dilemma over the opening of five swimming pools and water parks along the Han River amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday, the city government tentatively postponed the opening of five outdoor facilities ― swimming pools in Ttukseom, Gwangnaru and Yeouido and water parks in Nanji and Yangwha ― which was scheduled for June 26. When they will open has yet to be announced.
The city said the matter is still under discussion and all options are on the table, including not opening them at all.
Despite being outdoors, the facilities are usually packed with visitors each year, which could increase the risk of infection, the main concern for the city government.
"Keeping everything under control will be quite difficult. It's not just the visitors who are coming to the water facilities that we have to keep under observation," a city official said.
The swimming pools and water parks are located near other river park facilities, such as convenience stores, public toilets and parking lots which are usually busy and they also bring in a lot of food delivery services.
"If an infected person without symptoms comes to the facilities and infects others, things will go crazy. And tracing them would be next to impossible," an official said.
The outdoor water parks and swimming pools are popular destinations for Seoul residents who wish to enjoy the pools while staying in the city during the summer. They're especially popular with children. Last year, the swimming pools drew 272,000 visitors, slightly down from 295,000 in 2018.
This makes the decision more difficult for the city government.
"We have already had residents calling about the swimming pool opening. We can choose not to open them and that will be simple and make city government officials' lives easier. But, we're debating if that decision will truly serve citizens," a city official said.