Source: Korea.net

Gyeonggi-do (province) has begun feasibility studies on building a mammoth underwater tunnel connecting Korea to China, a province official said Sunday (Feb/ 17).

Lee Han-joon, a chief policy advisor to the province, said in a conference held aboard a ferry heading from Pyeongtaek in Korea’s Gyeonggi-do to Rongchen, China, that a detailed review on the engineering that would be involved in the construction is being reviewed.

In addition, the overall cost and time required to complete the task are being examined, he said, adding that the benefits that can be derived from the ambitious project will receive key attention.

“This project requires long-term political and diplomatic planning on the part of the governments of Korea and China, with Gyeonggi-do offering a reference point by conducting the review,” Lee said.

Pyeongtaek, located 70 kilometers south of Seoul, is a port being developed as the new logistics hub of central Korea.

Lee said that while the total length of the underwater tunnel connecting Pyeongtaek with Weihei on the Shandong Peninsula would be 375 kilometers, the average depth of the Yellow Sea along the length on the planned tunnel is about 40 meters, with its deepest point reaching 73 meters, making the construction of the tunnel possible from an engineering standpoint.

The engineer then said that Korea and China could build man-made islands near their shores that could be connected to their respective mainlands by bridge, with the remainder of the project being built by linking tunnels and more man-made islands.

Lee said that smaller-sized islands placed every 25 kilometers apart could be used as emergency exits for evacuating users in case of unforeseen developments, while a larger island located midway in the tunnel could be used as a new tourist attraction.

In addition, the official said some Chinese think tanks are conducting their own separate feasibility study on the plan.

Related to this, Gyeonggi-do Governor Kim Moon-soo said that with China’s emergence as an economic power, an underwater tunnel linking the two countries would be of considerable value.

However, he said that at present, the project is nothing more than a long-term plan that needs a lot of work.