Suwon Invests 5 Billion Won in Pedestrian Bridge Connecting Cultural Centers—'Landscape Overpass' Controversy

Suwon City is planning to invest 5 billion won to construct a landscape pedestrian bridge connecting the Gyeonggi Province Cultural Center and an outdoor concert hall, sparking controversy.

Civic organizations and some city council members have strongly opposed the plan, arguing that the city hastily allocated massive budget for a showpiece project despite it not being a necessary undertaking.

According to the city, the plan involves installing a landscape pedestrian bridge (approximately 40 meters) connecting the Gyeonggi Province Cultural Center and the outdoor concert hall, which face each other across Dongseo-ro in Ingye-dong.

The city aims to install the landscape pedestrian bridge while preserving the aesthetic sense of the two cultural performance venues with well-coordinated lighting facilities and green spaces, adding symbolic meaning to Suwon's central district.
The estimated cost alone reaches 5 billion won.

For this project, the city allocated a total of approximately 224 million won in the first supplementary budget, including 199.782 million won for detailed design costs and 20 million won for auxiliary facilities, which was approved at the city council plenary session on the 18th (passed by standing vote with 14 approvals out of 25 attendees).

However, this budget was completely cut during the preliminary review of the Urban Planning Committee held from the 3rd to the 8th, citing "lack of necessity and this is not an urgent project," but was revived at the Budget and Accounts Special Committee.

Kim Hyo-soo, chairman of the Urban Planning Committee, said, "It is questionable whether there was justifiable reason to revive this project in the Budget and Accounts Special Committee when it is not a necessary undertaking."

Despite the controversy, civic council members and civic organizations strongly opposed the budget's passage.

In fact, this area sees few pedestrians, and since there is already a crosswalk, there is no need to forcefully pursue the pedestrian bridge, critics point out.

Notably, it is known that the Budget and Accounts Special Committee accepted the recommendation of Mayor Kim Yong-seo and submitted this budget to the plenary session.

About a dozen city council members, including Councilor Kim Myeong-uk, clearly stated their opposition, saying, "It is unacceptable to reduce citizen welfare budgets and instead damage the landscape by allocating budget to hastily planned projects."

The Suwon Participatory Budget Coalition, comprising eight civic organizations in Suwon including Suwon Gyeongsilryeon, also issued a statement, criticizing: "Suwon City is preoccupied with showpiece administration and cannot even properly distinguish policy priorities."

Meanwhile, Councilor Choi Jung-sung, who supported the landscape pedestrian bridge installation, argued: "The Hyoseong Pedestrian Bridge (circular pedestrian bridge) in Wuman-dong faced much initial opposition, but it has now become a symbol of Wuman-dong," and added, "Moreover, since Suwon City's budget goes to local businesses, it also plays a role in local economic circulation, so it cannot simply be called budget waste."