A plan to extend a cable car from Hwangnyeongsan Beacon Station to the old Snow Castle site in Nam-gu has been put on hold following safety concerns raised during a Busan City Urban Planning Committee review.
The committee met on June 25 and deferred approval of the development plan amendment, citing multiple issues. The proposed second-stage route spans 2.2 kilometers and would cross over high-voltage 154kV power transmission lines, sparking opposition from civic groups and members of the committee.
As part of the broader Hwangnyeongsan Resort project, the full plan includes constructing a 118-meter-high beacon observatory, a 539-meter cable car linking Busanjin-gu’s Sports Park to the observatory, and additional tourism infrastructure. While the observatory project is nearing final approval, the cable car extension is under re-evaluation.
On June 24, the Hwangnyeongsan Citizens’ Movement Headquarters held a press conference claiming no other cable cars in Korea intersect with such high-voltage lines and called the planned route dangerous. They urged the city to consider all scenarios, warning of risks if the line passes above or below the transmission infrastructure.
KEPCO, which manages the power lines, confirmed it had raised concerns about potential interference with transmission and called for further review based on detailed engineering plans. The project must comply with Korean Electrical Installation Regulations.
Busan City signed a development agreement with Daewon Plus Group in 2021 to promote the resort project. While the initial observatory and short-range cable car passed an architectural committee review in December 2023, the extension’s future will depend on resolving safety, environmental, and public interest concerns.
