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MOVING ON TO OUR NEXT STORY FROM SOUTH KOREA. IF YOU ARE GOING ON VACATION THERE, YOU'RE
IN LUCK -- THERE ARE NOW TWO NEW NATIONAL RAILROAD LINES IN SERVICE.
THE NEW TRAINS ARE GIVING PASSENGERS A CHANCE TO EXPLORE SOME VERY SCENIC RURAL PARTS OF
THE COUNTRY. VOA CORRESPONDENT STEVE HERMAN WENT FOR A RIDE AND TALKED ABOUT IT WITH OUR
DOUG BERNARD.
ON THE O TRAIN, KORAIL ATTENDANT BAECK DA-EUN EXPLAINS THAT THOSE ACCUSTOMED TO HIGH SPEED
RAIL TRAVEL WILL EXPERIENCE A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE OF PACE AND STYLE DURING A RIDE ON
WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE SPINE OF THE KOREAN PENINSULA:
"WHEN PASSENGERS BOARD FOR THE FIRST TIME, AT FIRST THEY ARE AWED BY THE TRAIN'S EXTERIOR
DESIGN AND THE INTERNAL DÉCOR."
SOME PASSENGERS DISEMBARK TO STRETCH THEIR LEGS AND WATCH A GROUP OF FARMERS. OTHERS
REMAIN ON BOARD, WAIVING TO THOSE WORKING IN THE FIELD, AND STRIKE UP A BRIEF CONVERSATION.
"LET'S GO EAT SASHIMI AFTER I FINISH WORK HERE!"
THESE TWO TRAINS ARE REALLY THE FIRST TRAINS PURELY DESIGNED FOR LEISURELY TRAVEL. WE HAVE
IN THE CITY OF SEOUL, OF COURSE WE HAVE A SOPHISTICATED SUBWAY SYSTEM WITH LOTS OF COMMUTER
TRAINS, AND THERE ARE THE K-T-X HIGH SPEED TRAINS TO TAKE PEOPLE FROM ONE BIG CITY TO
ANOTHER. BUT THESE ARE REALLY TRAINS THAT HAVE BEEN DESIGNED PURELY FOR TRAVEL. AND
THE V TRAIN ONLY TRAVELS AT AN AVERAGE SPEED OF 30 KILOMETERS PER HOUR OVER ITS 28 KILOMETER
COURSE BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN BUNCHEON AND CHORWON STATIONS. AND THE WINDOWS ARE VERY
WIDE AND LONG, AND YOU GET A CHANCE TO SEE SCENERY LIKE YOU'RE NOT GOING TO REALLY SEE
FROM A TRAIN ANYWHERE ELSE IN SOUTH KOREA.
SO BASICALLY WHAT YOU'RE DESCRIBING ARE LARGELY TRAINS TO NOWHERE THAT MOVE SLOWLY. SO WHAT'S
THE APPEAL OF TAKING THESE TRIPS?
WELL, THE APPEAL IS REALLY TO SAVOR THE VIEWS OF THE NATURAL ROCKS AND CLIFFS ALONG STEEP
VALLEYS AND MOUNTAINS.
IF YOU'RE IN A HURRY, DO NOT TAKE SOUTH KOREA'S NEWEST TRAINS. THE ELECTRIC FOUR-COACH O TRAIN,
RUNNING FOUR TIMES DAILY, CIRCLES A FIVE HOUR, 257 KILOMETER COURSE WITH STOPS AT 13 STATIONS.
THE THREE-COACH V TRAIN OPERATES THREE TIMES DAILY ON A 70 MINUTE SHUTTLE BETWEEN TWO RURAL
STATIONS 28 KILOMETERS APART.
WHO DID YOU MEET ON BOARD? WHO WAS TAKING THIS?
IT REALLY WENT ACROSS ALL AGES. WE WENT OUT ON A WEEKDAY SO I DON'T THINK WE SAW AS MANY
CHILDREN AS MIGHT NORMALLY BE ON TRAINS ON WEEKENDS. IN FACT, THERE WAS A GROUP OF ELDERLY
PASSENGERS WHO WERE ALL OUTFITTED WITH THEIR HIKING GEAR. I'LL TELL YOU, I'VE CLIMBED A
MOUNTAIN OR TWO HERE IN SOUTH KOREA AND PEOPLE WHO WERE IN THEIR 70'S WERE JUST BREEZING
PAST ME ON THE ASCENT. KOREANS ARE VERY HEARTY HIKERS AND THEY'RE IN GREAT SHAPE, SO I THINK
FOR SOME OF THESE PEOPLE IT WAS A CHANCE TO GET OUT TO THE COUNTRYSIDE AND GET OFF THE
TRAIN AND GO INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE AS WELL.
STEVE, YOU'RE SPEAKING TO US IN SEOUL. YOU WORK THERE A LOT; THAT IS A 24-HOUR CITY,
CONSTANTLY ABUZZ, MADDENLY FAST. WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU TO TAKE THE FIVE HOURS THAT
IT TAKES TO GET ON ESSENTIALLY THIS VERY SLOW, PROBABLY PRETTY QUITE TRAIN?
WELL, WE ACTUALLY WENT ON BOTH TRAINS. DEPARTING FROM SEOUL STATION AT 7:45 IN THE MORNING
ON THE O TRAIN AND THEN JOURNEYING OUT FOR A FEW HOURS TO CATCH THE V TRAIN, AND THEN
RETURNING ON THE O TRAIN, GETTING BACK INTO SEOUL AT ABOUT 10:30 AT NIGHT, SO IT WAS A
VERY LONG DAY. BUT IT WAS EXTREMELY REFRESHING JUST TO GET OUT OF SEOUL, WHERE I SPEND MOST
OF MY TIME, AND JUST BREATHE IN DEEPLY SOME FRESH MOUNTAIN AIR. THAT WAS REALLY THE HIGHLIGHT
FOR ME.
VOA CORRESPONDENT STEVE HERMAN IN SEOUL, BREATHING IN THAT FRESH MOUNTAIN AIR.