Ten people, including university presidents from Busan and Daegu and general contractor chairman, inspect the Karatsu Tunnel site and declare, "Japan is making progress!"
On June 3rd, 10 people, including university presidents and trustees from Busan and Daegu, South Korea, and the chairman of a mid-sized general contractor, visited the site of the Japan-Korea Tunnel Nagoya Incline Shaft in Karatsu. The number of general visitors from South Korea has reached nearly 800 so far this year, and interest in the Japan-Korea Tunnel has grown significantly within South Korea. Word of mouth has spread that "600 meters have already been dug in Japan!" and this time, experts from industry and academia finally came to inspect the site.
After listening to Director Okubo Yoshitaka's report on the progress, the group had the opportunity to touch the wall of the 600m exploration tunnel's tip and face, and see the winch of the 1,300m trolley. Compared to the progress in Korea, which only finished drilling on Geoje Island 30 years ago, they were reminded that Japan is "taking this seriously."
After finishing the tour, a lecture began in front of the warehouse, and the university president admonished his colleagues who had come with him, saying, "Compared to the Korean cityscapes, which are lively but appear dirty, the clean Japanese cityscapes, without a single piece of trash on the ground, are beautiful. Japan and Korea both have their good points. It is important for Korea to learn from the good points of Japan and for there to be mutual respect." This was met with applause.
Busan, located in southeastern South Korea, has a great deal of interest in the Japan-Korea Tunnel, as it offers a distant view of Tsushima. There is also a realistic expectation of the economic benefits that tunnel construction will bring. The visiting group attended the Kyushu Japan-Korea Tunnel Conference held in Fukuoka City on the following day, the 4th, where they interacted with attendees from the Japanese academic, industrial, and political circles, exchanging opinions and deepening friendships.
[Photo] Leaders from Korea's industry and academia visiting from Busan and Daegu
[Photo] Q&A session at the tunnel's end, the face
[Photo] Looking directly at Iki from the observation deck, we had another lively conversation
[Photo] Before long, passionate comments and conversations began, discussing the future the tunnel will create.
