Hi, I'm Grace from Gimpo. I was actually born in Gimpo, but I moved to Seoul when I was 7, and then moved back to Gimpo when I was 14.
Gimpo has a lot of large cafes, and I really love going to the ones surrounded by nature. The picture below is my abso
lute favorite cafe in Gimpo!
I was looking for somewhere that mixes city vibes with nature, which is how I found Vancouver and ended up spending my summer there. I checked out a bunch of beaches in Vancouver, but my absolute favorite was Spanish Banks at night. Looking at the city skyline while watching a meteor shower above was just the best feeling ever.
Another highlight was Lake Louise in Banff. It was seriously gorgeous—hands down the most stunning water color I’ve ever seen in my life.
My time in Canada was a bit too short, but I had such an amazing time. It totally made me fall in love with the country. I'd love to visit again, so if you guys have any other cool spots in Canada to recommend, please let me know!
HOPE
H. Home Region
I live in Gimpo, a commuter city where many residents travel daily for work or school. The problem is, Gimpo only has one subway line to get around — the Gimpo Goldline. That's the issue I want to look into.
O. Overview, Observation & Objective
Anyone who's ridden the Goldline during rush hour knows what it's like. Between 7 and 9 a.m., the train gets so packed it's genuinely hard to breathe, and the line to get onto the platform sometimes stretches all the way up the stairs. This isn't just an inconvenience — back in 2023, a few passengers actually collapsed from breathing difficulties at Gimpo Airport Station during the morning rush, which shows how serious the crowding really is.
So why does this keep happening? Gimpo's population has grown a lot over the past several years, but the number of subway lines hasn't kept up — there's still only the one. On top of that, the Goldline runs on a small light-rail system, with two-car trains that hold roughly 170 people, which is nowhere near enough for how many people actually need to ride it. There also aren't many bus alternatives, so almost everyone ends up funneling onto the same line.
To back this up, I'd want to collect a few things: photos taken during my own commute or a friend's, a map showing how the Goldline is really the only subway option out of Gimpo, and maybe a chart comparing Gimpo's population growth against how crowded the line has gotten.
P. Plan
My first instinct was to design a brand-new congestion app, but then I realized that's kind of pointless — people already have transit and navigation apps on their phones, and adding another one just means fewer people will actually use it. So instead, my plan is to get existing apps to add Gimpo Goldline data that they're currently missing.
I looked into two apps a lot of people already use. Ddotta Subway (또타지하철), run by Seoul Metro, shows real-time crowding for lines like 2, 3, and 5 using pressure sensors built into newer trains. TMAP also provides congestion information for various subway lines to help users find the least crowded cars. However, neither app covers the Goldline at all right now.
That gap is basically the opportunity. If the Goldline had the same kind of live data feeding into these apps, riders could actually plan around it.
How the data could work in real time
-Weight sensors built into the train floor:this is the same tech Seoul Metro already uses on lines 2/3/5, so it's proven, not experimental.
-Signal counting:tracking how many phone signals (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth) are active inside a car to estimate rider count.
-AI&CCTV:using cameras already installed in stations and trains to count people automatically.
-Rider reports as a stopgap:a simple in-app button letting people flag "it's packed right now" while the sensor system gets built out.
Of these, the weight-sensor approach makes the most sense as a first step, since it's already working elsewhere in the system. The main task would just be installing it on Goldline trains and hooking that data into apps that already exist.
E. Execute & Example
Here's how I'd actually try to make this happen, not just leave it as an idea:
1. Evidence Collection: Screenshot both apps (Ddotta Subway and TMAP) to show clearly that Goldline congestion data is missing — that's the evidence I'd need before proposing anything.
2. Drafting a Proposal: Write a short proposal, maybe a page or two, laying out the problem, the fix, and why it matters. Nothing fancy — just enough to make the case.
3. Target Channels: Send it to real feedback channels, including:
-Seoul Metro's suggestion channel inside the Ddotta app
-TMAP Customer Service
-GIMPO Goldline Co., Ltd. directly
-Gimpo City Hall's transportation department
-The government's public complaints portal (국민신문고)
4. Submission & Sharing: Actually submit it through whichever of those channels is easiest to reach. After that, document the whole process and share it — at a school presentation or online — so other students dealing with similar public transit issues in their own cities have something to reference.
If this actually got picked up, riders would be able to check before leaving the house whether it's worth waiting ten minutes for a lighter train. Small fix, but it could genuinely cut down on both the discomfort and the safety risk that's been building up on this line.
