On July 15th, the entrance to the Aren Inclined Shaft in Tsushima was completed. The dome-shaped entrance, 7m in diameter, appeared, marking the first step in the construction of a tunnel that will cross the 66km Tsushima West Channel (Korea Strait) to Geoje Island in South Korea. All construction work began with the installation of this entrance, and as the saying goes, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," this historic step was truly marked.
The construction began with precise surveying on May 4th and took approximately 70 days to complete. This tunnel is an inclined survey tunnel that extends 1.3 km at a steep angle of 1/4, and is intended as an auxiliary tunnel for the main tunnel excavation to transport materials and drain water.
The tunnel diameter is 6m, but the entrance is 1m larger at 7m. The length (depth) is 10m, and work to extend the tunnel will continue in the future. On the hill opposite the entrance, a winch is installed, and preparations are underway to set up the construction environment, including a power source and water tank.
Since the Japan-Korea Tunnel is an international project, it will naturally be carried out under the agreement of both the Japanese and Korean governments. Efforts are currently being made in parallel.
Furthermore, considering that after landing in South Korea it will become an international highway that will pass through North Korea and extend all the way to Beijing, China, it is a grandiose project that should also take into consideration relations with North Korea and China. In the post-Cold War era, when religious and ethnic conflicts have surfaced all over the world, there are not many plans for peace.
The Japan-Korea Tunnel will undoubtedly bring peace to Northeast Asia and become a concrete plan to realize the dream of peace in the world. If people get a taste for creating peace, they will stop fighting wars. Let's all Japanese and Koreans join forces to build the Japan-Korea Tunnel.
Field News August 2014 (PDF view/download)
