[Editorial] Bullet Train Era Begins

South Korea has finally entered the era that makes it possible for the nation to enjoy 300kmph high-speed rail travel. The zone of life for all South Koreans will be expanded. Company productivity will increase as businessmen can shorten one-night, two-day trips to just one day. Luggage capacity for existing trains will go up, so difficulties over the logistics will be much relieved as well.

High-speed trains will change lots of things in economic activities, culture, sightseeing, and leisure; the efficiency of land usage will be increased, local business and industry will be activated, and development for travel will be encouraged. Overall, the high-speed train is expected to give the nation many nuclei in terms of development.

On the other hand, it is negatively expected that people and money will migrate to metropolitan areas, where consumption markets and the cultural environment are preferable to those of regional areas. This can lead to more concentration in the capital area. Likewise, regions where high-speed train stations are located will be expected to experience a boom in both economy and population, but the alienated areas without access to high-speed trains will likely fall behind. Then another imbalance will inevitably occur.

Strategic cooperation is needed between regions to reduce the “negative effects of high-speed trains,” and the government also needs to devise solutions for the expected problems. Based on meticulous planning, specialized development for each station is required to increase social and cultural competitiveness. And the public transportation network connecting nearby regions should be expanded.

The first magnificent phase of the high-speed train project has accompanied the development of high- speed train technology that fits the South Korean environment. We should boost up the competitiveness in material information technology and astronaut related technology by maximizing the ripple effects of the high-speed train project. Eventually, it should result in an expansion of the infrastructure of national industries. Taking the mistakes and errors of the first phase of construction as a lesson, the second phase of construction due in 2010 has to be successfully completed.

First of all, safe service should be prioritized. Considering more than half of the route goes though tunnels, the authorities should do their best to guarantee security.