Japan-Korea Undersea Tunnel

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The Japan-Korea Undersea Tunnel is a proposed tunnel project to connect Japan with South Korea via an undersea tunnel crossing the Korea Strait utilizing traverses over the islands of Iki and Tsushima, a straight line distance of approximately 128 kilometers at its shortest across the strait. In early 2008 the proposal was in preliminary discussions by ten senior Japanese lawmakers who have set up a committee to further pursue it ^[1] ^[2].

1 History of tunnel proposals
2 Economic benefits
3 Proposed routes
4 Associated difficulties
- 4.1 Political/historical/sociological
- 4.2 Logistical
5 References

[edit] History of tunnel proposals

The earliest proposals for such a tunnel reportedly originated as far back as the 1930s. During the Second World War, Japan actively considered such a project in order to connect it with the Korean Peninsula, and ultimately with the rest of the Asian continent. The proposal has been raised in public discussions at various times since then, and recently by Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda^[3]. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, inaugurated as president on 2008-02-18, has expressed a willingness to consider the project unlike his immediate predecessor Roh Moo-hyun.

[edit] Economic benefits

The proposed tunnel project would provide a savings of about 30 percent in transporting goods between the two countries ^[4]. Further economic benefits would be gained if North Korea would permit trains to cross through it onto China, from where trains could then access the Trans-Siberian Railway to Europe.

[edit] Proposed routes

Three routes have been proposed for the project. All three routes have the most eastern point terminating at Karatsu on the island of Kyūshū, Japan. The proposed western termination points in Korea are the port city of Busan for one of the routes, and the city of Geoje for the other two routes. Combined tunnel/island traverses for the three routes range from 209 to 231 kilometers to cross both the eastern Tsushima Strait and the western Chosen Strait. This distance would be far longer than the Eurotunnel which connects Britain to France with an undersea tunnel distance of approximately 38 kilometers.

[edit] Associated difficulties

[edit] Political/historical/sociological

Both the Japanese and the South Korean publics have reservations toward closer links with their other due to various reasons, which political leaders are sensitive to. Among these reasons: South Koreans still have strong memories of the Japanese occupation of their country from 1910-1945. Another contentious issue may be Japan's insistence on the return of Takeshima Islands located to the northeast of the strait, which are claimed by Tokyo but have been occupied by the South Korean coast guard, police and lighthouse personnel since 1945.

[edit] Logistical

One eventual economic issue that will be faced by rail companies utilizing the tunnel is that of different sized rail gauge, if the rail system is eventually connected to the Trans-Siberian Railway. Russia uses a different rail gauge than that of Korea and Japan.