Daredevil Jaan Roose completes slackline walk high above central Seoul
Source: Guardian World ↗
Estonian aerial athlete Jaan Roose, a three‑time slackline world champion, completed the first of two high‑altitude slackline attempts in central Seoul on Thursday, walking a 160‑metre‑long ribbon suspended 120 metres above the city. The line stretched between the Koreana Hotel and the Dong‑A Media Center, a short distance from Gyeongbokgung Palace and Gwanghwamun Square. After a televised countdown, Roose stepped off the Koreana roof at 1 p.m., traversed the narrow ribbon, paused mid‑way to sit cross‑legged and then lie flat on his back, before continuing to the opposite building, turning around, and returning to the hotel while performing additional stunts such as hanging by one arm and dangling by his feet. Spectators on the boulevard watched from their phones and the nearby Cheonggye plaza, where low‑level slacklines allowed the public to try the sport.
The performance marked South Korea’s inaugural high‑altitude slackline event and highlighted Roose’s growing reputation for daring urban feats, including a 185‑metre highline between Qatar’s Katara towers, a 3.6‑kilometre crossing of the Strait of Messina in 2024, and a 14.7‑kilometre, 12‑hour walk above the Danube in Bratislava. Roose’s interest in the Korean setting stemmed from a 2022 visit during which he encountered jultagi, the country’s traditional tightrope walking recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. The blend of extreme sport with cultural inspiration underscored the event’s significance beyond mere spectacle, positioning slacklining as a bridge between contemporary athleticism and historic performance art.
Crowds reacted with awe and nervous excitement, with onlookers like office worker Kim Young‑sook admitting the sight made her legs feel weak, while others such as Choi Eun‑jung expressed concern despite acknowledging Roose’s professionalism. After completing the walk, the audience applauded, some visibly relieved. A second performance was scheduled for 4 p.m., promising further engagement with the public and reinforcing Seoul’s willingness to host unconventional, high‑profile athletic displays in its historic core.
⚡ Effects Interpreter
🌍World Economylow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Currency traders elsewhere might start pricing in the fallout within hours.
- ▶Global boardrooms tend to take notice when a story like this surfaces.
🏙️Local Economylow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Family budgets close to home might absorb a modest, slow-moving effect.
- ▶Small firms on your street may pass costs on carefully, bit by bit.
🏦Rates & Bankslow impact
What this means for you
- ▶The cost of borrowing tends to shift gradually rather than in one leap.
- ▶Banks generally prefer a wait-and-see approach before touching their rates.
❤️Healthmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Sleep and appetite can be the first quiet casualties of unsettling news.
- ▶Unsettling news can weigh on sleep and mood, so peace of mind matters.
💷Wealthlow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Retirement plans are seldom derailed by news of this size alone.
- ▶Your financial adviser, if you have one, may already be watching this.
🏠Housinglow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Surveyors and valuers tend to factor in wider trends gradually, not overnight.
- ▶Renters might see costs drift a little as landlords weigh their own bills.
🌍 Effects for your country
The U.S.'s central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The U.S.'s economy is growing at 2.3% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the U.S.'s own central bank rate closely. With the U.S.'s unemployment at 4.4%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the U.S. depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UK's central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UK's economy is growing at 0.8% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UK's own central bank rate closely. With the UK's unemployment at 5.6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UK depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
France's central bank rate currently stands at 2%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. France's economy is growing at 0.9% with inflation at 1.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track France's own central bank rate closely. With France's unemployment at 7.9%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is already under strain. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in France depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
Romania's central bank rate currently stands at 6.5%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. Romania's economy is growing at 0.7% with inflation at 7.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track Romania's own central bank rate closely. With Romania's unemployment at 6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in Romania depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UAE's central bank rate currently stands at 3.65%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UAE's economy is growing at 3.1% with inflation at 2.5%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UAE's own central bank rate closely. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UAE depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.