The measure of: Seoul Ring Ferris wheel
Image credit: Cover Images
South Korea’s capital plans to add another feature to its skyline in 2027 – a 180m spokeless Ferris wheel dubbed the Seoul Ring.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) has unveiled plans to build the world’s largest spokeless Ferris wheel as a new landmark for the city.
Named Seoul Ring, the wheel will be located in Haneul Park and will offer stunning riverside views of the nation’s capital. The structure will enliven the skyline of Haneul, a former landfill site which has now been converted into an ecological park.
In line with the area’s sustainable goals, the wheel will run on green energy, including solar power, according to SMG.
Image credit: Cover Images
The Seoul Ring won’t just be a deck to provide sweeping views of the surrounding area; city authorities say the Haneul Park site was chosen for its symbolism as a gateway to both Seoul and unified Korea and as a location geographically close to North Korea “which shows the harmony and reunification of the Korean race”.
The attraction’s planners also envision augmented-reality technology to be projected on the walls of the passenger cars to display useful information for tourists.
Spokeless wheels have a non-rotating rim, with the passenger cars travelling around it. The current largest version is in China’s Shandong province and boasts a height of 145m. At 180m, Seoul Ring will not only trump this but will also be second only to the world’s highest Ferris wheel of any kind – the 250m-tall Ain Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Vital statistics: Seoul Ring
Height of spokeless Ferris wheel: 180m
Passenger cars: 36
People per car: 25
Maximum daily capacity: 12,000
Investment into the project: $411m
Construction begins: 2025
Projected completion date: 2027
Sign up to the E&T News e-mail to get great stories like this delivered to your inbox every day.
