We would like to introduce articles about the Japan-Korea Tunnel Project that have been featured in news organizations and media outlets.
The Korea-Japan Tunnel Research Association (Co-representatives: Seo Yi-taek, Lee Young-hoom) held its 2013 annual general meeting on the afternoon of January 22nd at the Orchid Room of the Ibis Ambassador Hotel in Busanjin-gu. More than 100 people, including members and people from various fields, participated in the meeting. Prior to the meeting, a special lecture was given at the opening ceremony, followed by the general meeting, which proceeded with greetings from the co-representatives, introductions of new members, congratulatory speeches, reports on association activities, and other discussions.
In his greeting, Co-representative Seo Yi-taek (Senior Professor at Busan National University) said, "When I created the Geoje Master Plan at the request of Geoje County in 1991, I personally constructed the Geoga Bridge, but it has only been completed after 20 years." He emphasized, "What we are doing now is to sow the seeds for the success of the Korea-Japan tunnel as pioneers, and the fruition will be for future generations, so let's not rush things and work hard with a sense of mission." In a special lecture on the theme of "The Road to a Developed Nation," Kwon Tae-shin, Vice Chairman of the National Competitiveness Enhancement Committee, stated, "Rome, the center of the world in the past, was able to rule the world for a long period despite not being the best in Europe in terms of land area, number of intellectuals, or physical size, because its spirit of 'openness and tolerance' overwhelmed its neighboring countries." He emphasized, "The Korea-Japan undersea tunnel, which will unite Northeast Asia and connect it to Europe by rail, will prevent provocations from North Korea, promote peace on the Korean Peninsula, and is a necessary project to make Korea a global logistics hub 100 or 200 years from now."
The Korea-Japan Tunnel Research Association was founded in 2008 and has over 280 members. Through activities such as academic seminars, special lectures, Korea-Japan Tunnel Promotion Conferences, Korea-Japan exchanges, field surveys, and newsletter publications, the association has made the necessity of the Korea-Japan tunnel construction known both domestically and internationally. This research association has held the Korea-Japan Tunnel Promotion Busan Metropolitan City Conference over the past year. A site visit to the Korea-Japan undersea tunnel in Tsushima? The group has been engaged in activities such as publishing a newsletter, and this year they plan to hold events such as a seminar on "The Trans-North-South Railway and the Korea-Japan Tunnel" and a "Silk Road Field Survey." Regarding future activities, co-representative Lee Young-hoom stated, "The Korea-Japan undersea tunnel construction project is a national issue, but it is regrettable that discussions are progressing slowly due to a lack of understanding regarding the expansion of logistics hubs," and emphasized, "As a purely private organization, the Korea-Japan Tunnel Research Association wants to play a stepping stone role by continuing its activities based on the research it has conducted so far."
-- (South Korea's "Segye Ilbo," January 24, 2013)
The Bering Strait Project, promoted by the World Peace Tunnel Foundation, was introduced for the first time at the Milan Triennale, a world-class design and art exhibition in Italy, attracting considerable attention. The Bering Strait Project involves digging an underwater tunnel under the Bering Strait to connect the Eurasian and North American continents by land. Since its proposal by Reverend Sun Myung Moon in 1981, the project has been promoted in various ways through the World Peace Tunnel Foundation. It was also announced on the 25th that Lee Young-hoon, Vice Chairman of the Foundation (Chairman of Ilshin Architects & Engineers), and Kwon Byung-hyun, Representative of Future Forest (former Ambassador to China), were the only Koreans invited to present their themes
at the international academic conference related to this event. The Milan Triennale, which began in 1923, is an international art exhibition held every three years at the Triennale Museum. This year's theme is "World Architecture – Infrastructure, Mobility, and New Landscapes," and it opened on October 8th last year and will run for three months until February 10th, 2013. This year's exhibition focused on the transformation and expansion of global infrastructure such as roads, railways, and airports, divided into three sections. The Bering Strait Project was included in the "International Mega-Projects" section, showcasing entries from the UIA International Idea Design Competition, previously hosted by the World Peace Tunnel Foundation, as well as the project's promotional video, "The Path to Peace and Prosperity." Meanwhile, as part of the exhibition, an international academic conference hosted by IUAV University, the National School of Architecture in Venice, was held on the 15th. The Vice Chairman, the only Korean invited, presented on the theme of "The Bering Strait and the Korea-Japan Tunnel Project as a Global High-Speed Transportation Network for Peace," while Representative Kwon presented on "China's Desertification Prevention Measures – Focusing on the Green Great Wall Project." --
(South Korea's Segye Ilbo, January 25, 2013)
On November 18, the Korea Construction Industry Institute released its report, "2020 Forecast of Major Issues and Trends in the Korean Construction Industry," listing "Green Infrastructure Construction," "Zero-Emission Cities," and "China-Korea and Japan-Korea Tunnels" as construction projects expected to have a significant ripple effect on Korea. Several Korean media outlets reported on the report. In August, the institute asked 155 construction-related personnel, including those working for construction companies, design and engineering firms, universities, and research institutions in Korea, to evaluate 12 construction projects. Projects expected to have a significant ripple effect on Korea were evaluated from the perspectives of technological development in the construction industry, improvement of the quality of life for citizens, and contributions to internationalization and overseas exports.
As a result, "Green Infrastructure Construction" received high scores in all categories. The China-Korea and Japan-Korea Tunnels were also seen as having a significant impact on the development of construction technology and the opening up of overseas markets. According to the institute, there is a high possibility that the Japan-Korea Tunnel, connecting Japan and Korea, will begin full-scale construction around 2020. While economic issues are a major challenge for the Japan-Korea tunnel project, it is expected that these will be resolved by implementing large-scale urban planning at the tunnel's entrance and exit. The project is estimated to cost 110-120 trillion won (approximately 7-8 trillion yen) and take 10-15 years to complete. Lee Bok-nam, a research fellow at the institute, stated that "the number of Chinese and Japanese tourists visiting Korea will far exceed 10 million annually by 2020," and that "it will become difficult to support tourists and logistics with airplanes and ships alone," emphasizing the necessity of the undersea tunnel.
The report cited "global economic changes" and "green growth, including changes in the global environment" as the main factors bringing about changes in the construction industry in 2020. More than 60% of respondents answered that the growth potential of the domestic construction market in Korea is "low," while 70% answered that the growth potential of the overseas construction market is "high.
" -- (Searchina, November 24, 2011)
