Flying Cars' Expected to Take Flight Next Year
U.S. firm Terrafugia recently announced it will produce about 10 Transition Roadable Aircraft a year from 2011. The vehicle is like a small personal airplane that can also drive on the road and park in a home garage like a car. It needs a runway to take off.
Meaning "escape from the ground" in Latin, Terrafugia was founded in 2006 by five graduates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The news instantly drew huge interest in the U.S., with local media describing the flying car as the realization of many childhood dreams about the future.
The Transition is expected to be the first aircraft that can be realistically purchasable by the general public. Currently the most basic form of air transportation is light aircraft by Cessna and other manufacturers, which cost several hundred thousand dollars. Including airport parking fees and other costs, they are prohibitively expensive for all but the rich.
A "flying car" with its wings folded /Courtesy of Terrafugia The aircraft successfully passed its first test flight last year. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration gave the design of the Transition a provisional greenlight in July, recommending that the weight of the body be increased for better balance while in the air.
englishnews@chosun.com / Sep. 14, 2010 11:53 KST
5 Korean Universities Rank Among Global Top 200
Five Korean universities ranked among top 200 around the world in global rankings released Tuesday.
In the rankings published by Quacquarelli Symonds, Seoul National University ranked 50th, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology 79th, POSTECH 112th, Yonsei University 142nd, and Korea University 191st. Korea University is a new addition this year.
The rankings, which are regarded as the most authoritative in the world, included a mere two Korean universities until 2007, SNU and KAIST, but since then their number has been growing. Thirteen made the top 500 this year.
Ben Sowter of the U.K. ranking firm's Intelligence Unit said Korean universities' years of efforts to improve are gradually being recognized internationally.
Korean universities have carried out a substantial reform drive for the last four or five years, seeking to attract more international faculty and students and boosting research, and the competitiveness of top universities has increased noticeably.
Cambridge University was the top ranked school overall, followed by Harvard, Yale, University College London and MIT. In terms of the number of universities in the top 200, the U.S. ranked first with 53, followed by the U.K. (30), Germany (12), the Netherlands (12) and Canada (10).
Japan topped the list in Asia with 10 universities. China also outdistanced Korea with six, or 11 if five in Hong Kong are included.
This year's World University Rankings were released simultaneously by newspapers each in the U.S., the U.K., France and Germany, as well as the Chosun Ilbo in Korea.
In the rankings published by Quacquarelli Symonds, Seoul National University ranked 50th, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology 79th, POSTECH 112th, Yonsei University 142nd, and Korea University 191st. Korea University is a new addition this year.
The rankings, which are regarded as the most authoritative in the world, included a mere two Korean universities until 2007, SNU and KAIST, but since then their number has been growing. Thirteen made the top 500 this year.
Ben Sowter of the U.K. ranking firm's Intelligence Unit said Korean universities' years of efforts to improve are gradually being recognized internationally.
Korean universities have carried out a substantial reform drive for the last four or five years, seeking to attract more international faculty and students and boosting research, and the competitiveness of top universities has increased noticeably.
Cambridge University was the top ranked school overall, followed by Harvard, Yale, University College London and MIT. In terms of the number of universities in the top 200, the U.S. ranked first with 53, followed by the U.K. (30), Germany (12), the Netherlands (12) and Canada (10).
Japan topped the list in Asia with 10 universities. China also outdistanced Korea with six, or 11 if five in Hong Kong are included.
This year's World University Rankings were released simultaneously by newspapers each in the U.S., the U.K., France and Germany, as well as the Chosun Ilbo in Korea.
englishnews@chosun.com / Sep. 08, 2010 09:46 KST
Korea Can Soon Be Crossed in 90 Minutes
A planned expansion of the bullet train network will soon make it possible to reach any part of the country within an hour and a half, according to a blueprint unveiled Wednesday. The plan is part of a broader strategy to boost the role of the railway and reduce dependence on roads.
◆ Improved Speed
The second stage of the Seoul-Busan high-speed railway, which will connect Daegu and Busan, is scheduled to open in November, while another link passing through South Jeolla Province in the southwestern part of the country will become operational between 2014 and 2017. Another connecting Suseo in southern Seoul and Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province will be completed by 2014.
Thje high-speed KTX trains will also pick up and drop off passengers at Incheon International Airport. Conventional railways under construction now will be built in a straight line and upgraded to accommodate trains traveling at speeds of up to 230 km/h.
Metropolitan express train services will be introduced connecting Seoul with its satellite cities. Once completed, it will take just 19 minutes by train from Samseong Station to Dongtan city -- a journey that takes more than an hour now. Ilsan will be reachable in just 16 minutes from Seoul compared to 42 minutes at present, while it will take just 12 minutes to get from Euijeongbu to Cheongnyangni Station in Seoul.
◆ 'One Big City'
Once the networks are operational, the government says most locations in the country will be reachable in less than 90 minutes. Hong Soon-man, director of transport policy at the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, said, "A total of 84 percent of the Korean public will be able to use bullet trains enabling them to travel to 82 percent of all locations in the country in less than 90 minutes and 95 percent in less than 2 hours. The entire country will essentially become one big city."
The government also plans to develop the railway industry into a new engine of growth and build a new generation of bullet trains capable of traveling up to 430 km/h by 2012 and export them overseas. The government projects it will cost W97 trillion (US$1=W1,186) by 2020 to realize the plan, with the private sector shouldering W38 trillion. The government will tap into its infrastructure financing reserves to fund the project.
◆ Improved Speed
The second stage of the Seoul-Busan high-speed railway, which will connect Daegu and Busan, is scheduled to open in November, while another link passing through South Jeolla Province in the southwestern part of the country will become operational between 2014 and 2017. Another connecting Suseo in southern Seoul and Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province will be completed by 2014.
Metropolitan express train services will be introduced connecting Seoul with its satellite cities. Once completed, it will take just 19 minutes by train from Samseong Station to Dongtan city -- a journey that takes more than an hour now. Ilsan will be reachable in just 16 minutes from Seoul compared to 42 minutes at present, while it will take just 12 minutes to get from Euijeongbu to Cheongnyangni Station in Seoul.
◆ 'One Big City'
Once the networks are operational, the government says most locations in the country will be reachable in less than 90 minutes. Hong Soon-man, director of transport policy at the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, said, "A total of 84 percent of the Korean public will be able to use bullet trains enabling them to travel to 82 percent of all locations in the country in less than 90 minutes and 95 percent in less than 2 hours. The entire country will essentially become one big city."
The government also plans to develop the railway industry into a new engine of growth and build a new generation of bullet trains capable of traveling up to 430 km/h by 2012 and export them overseas. The government projects it will cost W97 trillion (US$1=W1,186) by 2020 to realize the plan, with the private sector shouldering W38 trillion. The government will tap into its infrastructure financing reserves to fund the project.
englishnews@chosun.com / Sep. 02, 2010 11:19 KST
Korea's First Undersea Tunnel Links Busan and Geoje
Korea's first underwater road tunnel was revealed on Monday after its undersea construction was completed as part of the Geoga Bridge on the southern coast. It is also one of the world's longest immersed tube tunnels.
The 8.2-km Geoga Bridge connects Gadeok Islet near Busan and Geoje city in South Gyeongsang Province. It comprises a 4.5-km cable-stayed bridge, which was completed in May, and the newly finished 3.7-km undersea tunnel connected to the bridge section.
Once it opens on Dec. 9, the road distance between Busan and Geoje will be shortened from 140 km to 60 km, and traveling time from 2 hours and 10 minutes to 50 minutes.
Geoga Bridge
The 8.2-km Geoga Bridge connects Gadeok Islet near Busan and Geoje city in South Gyeongsang Province. It comprises a 4.5-km cable-stayed bridge, which was completed in May, and the newly finished 3.7-km undersea tunnel connected to the bridge section.
Once it opens on Dec. 9, the road distance between Busan and Geoje will be shortened from 140 km to 60 km, and traveling time from 2 hours and 10 minutes to 50 minutes.
Geoga Bridge - englishnews@chosun.com / Sep. 15, 2010 11:20 KST
What a special time of year! I always enjoy celebrating Chuseok.
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