Second Korean Antarctic Station to Be Built by 2011

Korea plans to invest a total of 70 billion won in building a second Antarctic station by 2011.

The Ministry of Planning and Budget announced on July 21 that it would undertake deliberations and consultations with related agencies to offer the funding amounting to one billion won next year as requested by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries to build the second Antarctic research station.

Out of one billion won, 800 million will be spent for renting airplanes and ships, and 200 million will be allocated to travel expenses, including field trip expenditures.

It has been pointed out repeatedly that the existing Korean Antarctic station, "King Sejong," is not a good place to carry out full-scale research activities on earth magnetism or auroras because it is located on King George Island, not on the Antarctic continent, and is too far away from the South Pole. Furthermore, its research equipment is antiquated because the station was established in 1988.

Chang-Won Kim changkim@donga.com