Seoul to create Champs-Elysees-style walkway from Gwanghwamun to Han River

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said the city government will create wider walkways along a 7-kilometer route from Gwanghwamun in central Seoul to the Han River, while on his visit to Paris on Saturday.

Oh made the remark after touring the Avenue des Champs-Elysees, where the Paris city government is running a city-led green makeover project.

Oh was visiting Paris as part of his ongoing 11-day trip to Europe.

According to the Seoul city government, Paris has injected some 330 billion won ($230 million) to streamline the current eight lanes into four, while adding walkways and green spaces along the paths.

Like the city-led project in Paris, Oh plans to transform the 7-km route that starts from Gwanghwamun and runs through Seoul Station and Yongsan to the Han River.

According to Oh, Seoul will reduce the traffic lanes and add sidewalks and green spaces. The walkways would pass major historic and cultural sites, including the main palace Gyeongbokgung, Gwanghwamun Square, Deoksugung, its gate Daehanmun and the city gate Sungnyemun.

Since May last year, the Seoul city government has been working to refurbish the 1.5-km section between Gwanghwamun and Seoul Station. The previously nine to 12 traffic lanes were reduced to seven to nine, allowing the city to secure walkways two times bigger than before.

The Seoul city government will work on the remaining 5.3-km section from Seoul Station through Yongsan to the Han River starting this year. The existing six to nine traffic lanes will be streamlined to four to six, while expanding the walkways by 1 1/2 times.

"(Paris’) green makeover plan for a global tourist spot like the Champs-Elysees will greatly inspire Seoul in its own plan to afforest urban areas,” Oh said.

Seoul's project on the road between Gwanghwamun and Han River is part of the city's broader "green path" project, which aims to connect an existing 1,700 kilometers of long walkways that run along green spaces in the city.

By the time the project is done in 2026, the city will have a connected walkway measuring a some 2,000 kilometers, according to officials from the city government.

Meanwhile, the Seoul city government will also inject 57.2 billion won for a park stretching 7.6 kilometers and measuring 40 to 55 meters in width on the site of the country's oldest highway, which runs from the Sinwol interchange to a junction near the National Assembly.