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Gwangju's Jeseoksan Cloud Bridge to get safety nets after fatal falls

Published: 22 Jul. 2025, 20:15

Jeseoksan Cloud Bridge in Nam District, Gwangju [YONHAP]

Authorities in Gwangju's Nam District will temporarily close the Jeseoksan Cloud Bridge starting Thursday through Aug. 13 to install dual safety nets under the span following a string of fatal falls from the popular — and troubled — landmark.

Construction began on July 8 to reinforce the 1999-built bridge with two layers of netting. The decision to fully close the area came after a man in his 40s jumped over the railing and died on the very day work began, fueling fresh public demands for stronger protections.

The planned system includes an upper net stretching 47 meters (154 feet) long and 20 meters wide, as well as two smaller lower nets, each 28 meters long and 10 meters wide. Designed to hold up to 100 kilograms (220 pounds), the dual-net system is the district’s latest effort to reduce the risk of fatal falls — many of them suicides.

The bridge, first installed in 1999, has long been a site of concern in Gwangju due to repeated suicide attempts.

Since 2017, when official records began, eight people have died by falling from the structure.

Four incidents have occurred in 2025 alone, with three resulting in fatalities.

In 2020, Nam District officials raised the height of the bridge’s railings from 1.2 meters to 2 meters and installed rolling handrails as a preventive measure.

But officials acknowledged the limited impact of those upgrades.

The district government now plans to focus on physical barriers to further reduce the risk of falls. During the construction period, it will fully restrict access to the bridge to ensure public safety.

“We will block all access to the area during construction and do our utmost to create a safer environment,” a Nam District official said.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JUNG SI-NAE [[email protected]]