Estonian Slackline Champion Stuns Seoul With a Walk 120 Meters Above the City

Hundreds of people in central Seoul looked to the sky on October 1 as Estonian slackline champion Jaan Roose crossed a narrow line suspended about 120 meters above the ground.

The 34-year-old athlete walked along a 160-meter line stretched between the Koreana Hotel and the Dong-A Media Center in the Gwanghwamun area. The performance was the first high-altitude slackline event of its kind in central South Korea.

A Walk Above the Heart of Seoul

Roose completed the challenge while wearing a safety harness and leash. There was no safety net beneath him, making the height especially striking for spectators watching from the streets below.

During the performance, Roose did more than simply walk across the line. He stopped to sit on the narrow webbing, lay back and performed difficult movements, including hanging from the line. The unusual sight attracted large crowds around Gwanghwamun Square.

A Career Built on Extraordinary Challenges

Roose has become known for taking slackline performances into unusual urban and natural environments. In 2024, he became the first person to cross the Strait of Messina between mainland Italy and Sicily on a slackline, covering about 3.6 kilometers.

He has also completed high-altitude performances in Istanbul and Dubai. In September 2026, he set an endurance record in Bratislava by walking back and forth along a 666-meter line for 12 hours, covering 14.7 kilometers.

Inspired by Korean Tradition

The Seoul performance also had a cultural connection. Roose became interested in Korean traditional tightrope walking, known as jultagi, after visiting South Korea in 2022.

Traditional jultagi combines balance, acrobatics and performance, and Roose said the experience influenced his decision to bring his own style of highline performance to Seoul.

His Message to the Crowd

For Roose, the challenge was not simply about performing a dangerous stunt. He said his approach is to concentrate on one step at a time rather than thinking about the entire distance at once.

That mindset has become part of the message behind his performances: difficult challenges can become more manageable when people focus on the next step instead of being overwhelmed by the final goal.

Sources

• The Guardian — “Daredevil Jaan Roose completes slackline walk high above central Seoul” — October 1, 2026.
• The Korea Times — “120 meters above Seoul, slackliner stuns crowds” — October 1, 2026.
• KBS World — “Daredevil Jaan Roose Completes High-Rise Slackline Walk in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun” — October 1, 2026.
• Seoul Metropolitan Government — Seoul Extreme Sports Festival information — October 1, 2026.