Pohang Space Walk

Character

Seven hundred seventeen steps rise and fold through a 333-metre steel track above Hwanho Park. Space Walk was designed as participatory public art: visitors enter the sculpture itself, and the changing height, direction and views become part of how the work is experienced

The structure is unmistakably tied to Pohang’s industrial identity. It uses 317 tonnes of steel, all supplied by POSCO, and reaches about 25 metres above the park. German artists Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth developed the design after repeated visits to Pohang and meetings with residents and local historians, connecting the work to the city before its final form was chosen

The experience

The track splits into elevated walking sections that climb, curve and return through a compact footprint. Railings remain close on both sides, while the open steel structure keeps the sea, park and city visible through much of the ascent. The steepest sections make the physical act of climbing as noticeable as the view

From the higher curves, Yeongil Bay, Yeongildae Beach and the POSCO steelworks enter the same panorama. That mix is specific to Pohang: coastal recreation and heavy industry appear together around an artwork made from the material that shaped the city’s modern economy

A full circuit is short in distance, but almost the entire route uses stairs and changing grades. Weather can close the structure automatically, so access depends on both climbing conditions and the day’s weather

History

POSCO and Pohang City signed an agreement in April 2019 to install a major artwork in Hwanho Park as part of a broader tourism and public-space project. Mutter and Genth were selected later that year. During development they visited the city several times, met residents and local historians, and produced multiple design proposals before the final scheme was chosen with expert and citizen input

Design, fabrication and construction continued through 2020 and 2021. POSCO supplied the steel and coordinated engineering for the irregular three-dimensional structure, which required 25 steel supports and precise fabrication of the curved track. Space Walk was unveiled in November 2021

The project quickly became a prominent piece of Pohang’s public landscape and received national recognition through Korea’s spatial-culture awards. Its longer-term significance is straightforward: a city identified with steel used that same material for a work whose purpose is civic recreation, art and tourism

Before you go

Wear shoes suited to continuous stairs and leave enough flexibility for weather. Entry can stop automatically during rain or strong winds, and children 110 centimetres or shorter cannot use the structure. Hwanho Park remains available around the artwork when the elevated track closes; plan the climb with weather-dependent access in mind