Seoul has been named the world's most walkable city in Time Out's annual survey, with 93 percent of locals rating its walkability as 'good' or 'amazing'. However, a recent visit by a travel journalist found the South Korean capital to be anything but pedestrian-friendly.
A car-centric city despite top ranking
The Time Out ranking, based on responses from 24,000 people, placed Seoul joint-first, citing its safety, neighbourhoods like Myeongdong, Insadong, and Hongdae, and innovative walkways such as the 1,074-metre-long Seoullo 7017 'sky garden' and the Cheonggyecheon Stream walkway.
Yet, the journalist's experience contradicted this. Seoul is a car city, with wide four and six-lane roads dominating much of the urban landscape and encouraging motoring. The cheap cost of Ubers, around £5 for a half-hour ride, makes hopping in a cab far more common than in the UK.
Air pollution and strict rules
According to NASA, Seoul is one of the world's cities with the worst air pollution, beating Los Angeles, Tokyo, Paris, and London. The journalist noted a heavy, shimmering cloud hanging over the view from Namsan, the 170-metre-tall hill in the city's centre.
Walking back down, the journalist encountered a city of signs, from 'no smoking' to 'no archery' and 'no hiking without a flashlight', along with CCTV cameras on tall metal poles in the woodland. The city is also completely opposed to bins; the journalist walked for two hours without finding a trash can, as South Koreans are expected to take their rubbish home.
Lack of pavements and jaywalking ban
The absence of pavements in some areas forced the journalist to slide down alleyway walls to give way to cars, and the complete prohibition of jaywalking added to the frustration. The city lacks an obvious centre and is exhaustingly massive, making its status as one of the world's least walkable cities clear to the journalist.
Despite these challenges, the journalist left in love with Seoul, praising its fish-filled Cheonggyecheon River, the rusty octopus of Yongma Land, and impossibly cheap but high-grade cosmetics. The advice for visitors: just prepare to order a cab.
