On September 14th, a delegation of 34 members from Busan UPF, led by Busan Chairman Park Seong-yeol, from the Republic of Korea, visited the Are Inclined Shaft site on Tsushima Island. Four or five members of the group had already visited the Karatsu Inclined Shaft site, and were surprised to find that the same structure was on Tsushima, and that tunnel construction had begun from the west coast of Tsushima to Korea. The Karatsu Inclined Shaft is said to be gaining fame through word of mouth, but visits to the Tsushima Inclined Shaft site are still rare.
The UPF, under the slogan "Peace Road," is independently lobbying both governments with the aim of achieving peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula, and is also known for holding demonstrations calling for "unification of North and South Korea" by cycling along major roads in both Korea and Japan on "Peace Bikes." The "Peace Road" movement is gradually becoming known to the public in Korea, and one city has even made it an official city event, and the Japan-Korea Tunnel is said to be gaining recognition in connection with this.
Currently, the number of Korean visitors to the Karatsu Incline Shaft site is about 2,000 per year, and this has been going on for about three years, so it is no surprise that it is gradually becoming well-known within Korea.
Construction of the entrance to the Aren Incline Shaft was completed in July 2014, and an opening ceremony was held in September.
[Photo] A delegation from Busan UPF, South Korea, inspecting the Aren Incline Shaft site in Tsushima
[Photo] Listening to the explanation by Katsuno Uchiyama, Director of the Tsushima Office
[Photo] Appointed as "Peace Ambassador" for Peace Road Project
