For diplomats who call Seoul home, the capital offers livability, lessons to bring back

An Australian ambassador who has witnessed Seoul's transformation since the 1980s. A Swiss envoy who hikes with her family on weekends. A Dominican ambassador who takes her children to the city's parks.

These were among diplomats from some 40 missions who weighed in on their views about living in Seoul after attending the annual Korea JoongAng Daily Forum at the Grand Lotte Seoul in central Seoul on Thursday, where they heard Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon lay out his vision to make the capital a better place to live.

"As a citizen of Seoul now, I can see all these improvements, and I benefit from them daily," said Swiss Ambassador Nadine Olivieri Lozano. "And on weekends with my family, we enjoy going hiking and bicycling."

Seoul and the Swiss city of Basel signed a cooperation agreement in 2022, and Olivieri Lozano noted that well-known Swiss architects are working on projects in Seoul.

Of the policies Oh presented, she picked his plan to make Seoul a "walking city" as the one that would resonate most at home.

"Seoul is much larger, but the fact that we can walk so easily in Seoul is something that [Swiss] people will really resonate with," she said.

Oh laid out his plans in his keynote to some 200 people from the diplomatic corps and business sector, from walkable streets to tackling loneliness among residents. Many diplomats raised their phones to photograph the slides while following the speech through interpretation headsets.

While introducing the city's counseling services, Oh told the story of a student in Gwanak District, southern Seoul, who told a counselor that the sessions were no longer needed after landing a job. Asked where, the student said that after lowering the bar, the job was at Samsung Electronics, prompting laughter across the tables once the interpretation came through.

Australian Ambassador Jeff Robinson said Seoul has become a far easier place to live since he first arrived.

"I first came to Korea in 1984, so I know what it was like then," he said. "Back 40 years ago in the foreign community, most people used to spend their time complaining about everything. I never hear that anymore."

"Driving in Seoul used to be chaotic, and now, because I drive a lot, it's so much easier here," Robinson said, singling out the pink and green lines painted on Korean roads, which guide drivers through complex interchanges. "[It's a] fantastic idea, and I think they should introduce things like that in Australian cities."

Ideas have also traveled the other way.

Robinson noted that Seoul officials studied the CityCat ferries in Brisbane, Australia, before launching the Hangang Bus, the city's river ferry service, in September of last year. But he said Australia has more to learn from Seoul, especially on density.

"High density cities like Seoul can be very livable if you get the design [right]," he said, noting that clinics and subway stations are often steps from apartment buildings in Seoul, while in Australia, residents in apartments still have to drive to get around. Here, he noted, "If you live in an apartment, you go downstairs, everything is close."

Dominican Ambassador Angie Martínez spoke as a mother raising kids in the city. She praised Oh's goal of making Seoul a happier city through more cycling, walking and green space, and asked for one more thing.

"I would love to see more playgrounds in Seoul," she said. "I have kids, too, and I love to go to parks [and] playgrounds so kids can enjoy, and that's good for them and good for mothers too."

She added, "Seoul is my soul, too, because I live here."

Romero Maia Filho, the deputy head of mission at the Brazilian Embassy, said the speech described his own routine.

"He actually put in words things that I lived in my daily routine," he said. "What he said, to me, were not just words, but the life that I have here."

Maia Filho lives in Bukchon, a neighborhood of hanok (traditional Korean houses) in central Seoul, and cycles east along Cheonggyecheon, a restored stream that runs through downtown, to the Han River.

"[I can] cycle for 6 to 7 kilometers [3.7 to 4.3 miles] on beautiful days, and it's just amazing," he said. Of the autumn weather, he added, "It's like there is a big air conditioning turned on in the whole city."

Moëzz Laouani, deputy head of mission at the Tunisian Embassy, gets around on foot.

"I walk a lot around Seoul, so sometimes I see some of the projects that he mentioned," he said. He named the city's mental health project for residents as the most impressive part of the speech.

Oh's focus on loneliness also drew comments from other diplomats.

Claude Ganza, first counselor at the Rwandan Embassy, said the plan to create spaces where people can connect stood out to him.

"The more people get old or the more you grow up in society, the more [lonely] you get because you get busy with work routines," he said.

Ganza also thanked Seoul for its partnership with Kigali, Rwanda's capital, and said he hoped the two cities would strengthen cooperation. Oh has his own ties to Kigali — between his two stints as Seoul mayor, he advised the city on economic development for six months starting in late 2014.

Khalid Al-Fayad, a third secretary at the Qatari Embassy who once studied in Seoul, said Oh's account of places for people to socialize answered a question he had about how such a crowded city could make room for its residents to meet.

Al-Fayad pointed to bus stops when asked what the city could do better for foreigners. "Some bus stations, some parts will have English, some parts [won't]," he said, suggesting that every station name carry some English.

Other diplomats expressed anticipation for more exchanges with Seoul.

Mongolian Ambassador Sukhee Sukhbold proposed regular cultural events in both capitals.

EU Ambassador Ugo Astuto said he was impressed by the mayor's plans to make Seoul greener.

For newcomers, the speech offered a measure of how far the city has come.

Mohammad Al Khalidi, chargé d'affaires a.i. of Jordan, arrived in Seoul two months ago, 12 years after his first visit.

"The city is changing into a more livable, more energetic, more green city," he said.

Al Khalidi said Jordan's capital, Amman, hopes to learn from Seoul "in transportation and the management of the cities, urban planning, AI use for the development of the cities."

BY SEO JI-EUN   [[email protected]]