The Seoul metropolitan government put in place the basic structure for the FIRST of THREE artificial floating islands on the river this Saturday.

“There are artificial islands in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, but they’re in addition to the actual natural islands in the area. Seoul’s Floating Islands are remarkable because they are completely man-made ones that will float on the river,” explained Kim Hyeong-keon, a city official involved in the project, according to JoongAng. “That’s why we’re not calling them artificial islands, we’re calling it the Floating Island.

“There already are artificial floating islands overseas similar to what Seoul is building now: Floating Garden in Rostock, Germany, and Mur Island [The Murinsel] in Graz, Austria. While the two artificial islands are relatively small and the purposes of the venues are limited, Seoul’s Floating island is big enough to serve multiple purposes.”