2 Billion Won Project Becomes a White Elephant: What Happened to Ulsan Bridge?

[Anchor]

In March, a global food culture center, where visitors could taste dishes from around the world, opened with high expectations at Ulsan Bridge. However, four months after its opening, it is being ignored by citizens.

UBC reporter Bae Dae-won reports.

[Reporter]

The global food culture center opened at Ulsan Bridge this past March.

Despite it being lunchtime, there are almost no customers visiting the restaurants.

Some restaurants have their doors locked, with no owners in sight.

With the sweltering heat these days, some restaurant owners have given up on daytime business altogether.

Even the restaurants that are open are just as empty; one restaurant barely managed to serve a single customer by the time lunch hour ended.

The building's structure, which remains hot even with air conditioning, the distance to the restrooms, and a lack of attractions are cited as reasons why visitors have stopped coming.

[Restaurant Owner: (In the past) when they made the outside look nice, customers would come and go, but now there is nothing. I can't even cover labor costs. (You can't even cover labor costs?) No, I can't.]

A total of 2 billion won was spent on constructing the facility, and a budget of 600 million won has been allocated and spent this year, but the results over the past four months have been dismal.

The average daily revenue of the Uzbekistan restaurant, operated directly by the Ulsan Facilities Management Corporation, fell from the 80,000 won range in March to the 60,000 won range the following month.

While it saw a rebound in May thanks to street performances, it plummeted back to the 50,000 won range last month.

Furthermore, the average number of daily orders at other restaurants has also been on a downward trend for three months since March.

The Ulsan Metropolitan Government and the corporation plan to promote revitalization through various programs, such as linking the site with festivals.

Ulsan Bridge has attempted to transform itself several times, including projects like the Delivery Bridge, the Youth Bridge, and the installation of landscape lighting.

This time, it reopened with a focus on global food experiences, but it is once again turning into a white elephant in the middle of the city.

(Video coverage: Ahn Jae-young, UBC | Design: Koo Jung-eun, UBC)

UBC Bae Dae-won
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.