Despite the Korean War ending in 1953, peace has never actually been declared between North and South Korea which remain separated by the world's most heavily-guarded border. However, Korail president and CEO Dr Choi Yeon-Hye believes the railway connections between the two countries could provide the basis for a peaceful reunification, as Kevin Smith discovered during a visit to Seoul.
SUSEO High Speed Railway Corporation (SHSRC) has awarded Hyundai-Rotem a contract worth Won 342.2bn ($US 302m) to supply 10 high-speed trains, which are being ordered for the extension of the high-speed network to Suseo and Mokpo in 2017.
SEOUL Metropolitan Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (SMRT) has issued an invitation to tender for a contract to carry out detailed design for the 7.7km eastern extension of metro Line 5 from Sangildong to Hanam.
KOREA's national rail operator, Korail, has issued a call for tender for 15 10-car high-speed trains for operation on the new Wongang line which opens in 2017 and will link Wonju, southeast of Seoul, with the east coast city of Gangneung.
Korail's new rail tourism initiative is transforming the performance of poorly-patronised regional railways and being hailed as a shining example of president Park Geun-hye's plan to transform Korea into a "creative economy" based more on service industries and innovation, as David Briginshaw discovers.
TRAIN services started to return to normal in Korea today following the end of a 22-day strike by railway workers over the government's decision to grant a licence to a new affiliate operator to be set up by Korail to run the new Suseo KTX service.
SEOUL Metropolitan Government and the SML9 consortium have awarded a consortium of Transdev and RATP Dev a 10-year contract to continue operating and maintaining Seoul metro Line 9.
DR Choi YeonHye has been appointed as president and CEO of Korail, Korea's national train operator, and is the first woman to lead the company.
A concerted effort by Korail to improve safety management and reduce train failures and human error has been hailed a major success. As Lee Min-cheor of Korail's International Cooperation Department explains, the performance of flagship high-speed services has improved markedly.
KOREA's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has dropped plans announced earlier this month to allow a private company to operate high-speed services from the new Suseo station is southeastern Seoul which is due to open in 2015.
