Moon-shaped balloon ride to launch in Seoul next week

SEOUL, June 28 (Yonhap) -- The Moon of Seoul, a full moon-shaped tethered balloon ride, will begin operations in the capital's Yeouido district next week, taking passengers up to 150 meters above the ground in vertical round trips, the Seoul city government said Friday.

The launch ceremony for the helium balloon ride is scheduled for 7 p.m. on July 7, the government said. The ride will be test-operated until Aug. 22 before changing to a paid service the following day, it added.

The tethered helium balloon looks like a hot-air balloon, but because it is connected to the ground by cables, it can only rise vertically.

Each round trip will take around 15 minutes, with a capacity of 30 passengers. It will rise as high as 100 to 150 m above the ground, depending on the weather conditions, according to the government. The operating hours will be from noon to 10 p.m. every day, except on Monday, and an adult ticket will cost 25,000 won (US$18), it noted.

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