Estonian slackline athlete Jaan Roose will attempt a 160-meter high-altitude walk 120 meters above Seoul’s Gwanghwamun on October 1, marking South Korea’s first such performance.
Aerial Athlete’s High-Altitude Stunt in Seoul
Estonian slackline athlete Jaan Roose will perform a 160-meter highline walk 120 meters above Seoul’s Gwanghwamun on October 1, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced. The event, held between the Koreana Hotel and Dong-A Media Center, marks South Korea’s first high-altitude slackline performance. Roose, a three-time world champion, will attempt the feat twice daily at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., weather permitting, with safety measures including on-site personnel and separated viewing areas (Chosun).
Roose’s Record-Breaking Background
Roose, known for his 3.6-kilometer Messina Strait crossing in 2024 and a 14.7-kilometer Danube walk, has previously tackled urban highlines, including a 185-meter feat between Qatar’s Katara towers. His Seoul performance follows a 2022 visit where he encountered jultagi, Korea’s traditional tightrope walking, which UNESCO recognized as intangible cultural heritage in 2011 (The Guardian).
Cultural Context and Public Engagement
Jultagi, unlike Western tightrope walking, blends acrobatics with comedy, featuring performers who sing, joke, and dance on the rope while interacting with a clown and musicians. The Seoul event includes public slackline experience zones at 30cm and 50cm heights, along with skateboard and breaking performances, aiming to engage citizens (SBS). Cho Sung-ho of the Seoul Tourism and Sports Bureau emphasized the city’s potential as a global sports stage (Inkl).
Safety Measures and Weather Conditions
The event will be postponed if wind speeds exceed 10m/s average or gusts reach 15m/s. Large outdoor billboards at the Koreana Hotel and Dong-A Media Center will broadcast the performance, with live streaming on the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s YouTube channel.
Seoul’s Ambition as a Global Sports Destination
The Seoul Metropolitan Government aims to use the event to promote the city as a hub for international sporting stages. Cho Sung-ho stated, Seoul is an attractive city where nature and the urban core coexist closely, allowing diverse urban spaces to be used as new sports stages,
highlighting plans to attract more global events (Inkl). The performance aligns with Seoul’s efforts to blend modern sports with cultural heritage, as seen in the jultagi tradition.