Dignitaries attend a ceremony to mark the 2019 anniversary of Railroad Day at the Millennium Seoul Hilton on June 28. The participants included Vice Minister Kim Kyung-wook of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), President Sohn Byeong-suk of Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL), Chairman Kim Sang-kyun of Korea Rail Network Authority (KR), concurrently chairman of the Korea Railway Association, President Kwon Tae-myung of SR, President Lee Kun-yong of Hyundai Rotem, Chairman Park Soon-ja of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, and Rep. Yoon Young-il. (Photo: MOLIT)

The nation marked the 2019 anniversary of Railroad Day at the Millennium Seoul Hilton on June 28. The 2019 Railroad Day anniversary event was the second since the government changed the date to June 28 to celebrate the establishment of the nation’s first Railroad bureau in 1894, during the Joseon Dynasty.

At a cabinet meeting held on May 8, 2018, the government changed the anniversary day from Sept. 18 to June 28. In the previous years, Railroad Day was observed in celebration of the Gyeongin Line, the nation’s first 33.2-km-long Railroad route connecting Noryangjin and Jaemulpo in 1899. Controversy flared over the celebration of Railroad Day to mark the opening of the line, built by Japanese, because it was a vestige of Japanese colonial rule of Korea.

Among some 450 people on hand at the 2019 Railroad Day anniversary event were Vice Minister Kim Kyung-wook of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), President Sohn Byeong-suk of Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL), Chairman Kim Sang-kyun of Korea Rail Network Authority (KR), concurrently chairman of the Korea Railway Association, President Kwon Tae-myung of SR, President Lee Kun-yong of Hyundai Rotem, and Chairman Park Soon-ja of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee.

The 2019 Railroad Day anniversary event was hosted by the MOLIT, organized jointly by KORAIL, KR and SR., and supported by the Korea Railway Association.

The 2019 Railroad Day anniversary event also coincided with an awards ceremony for those who contributed to the development of the railroad industry, and a photo exhibition on the chronology of the Korean railway industry.

President Sohn Byeong-suk of Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL), give a speech at the 2019 Railroad Day anniversary event. (Photos: NewsWorld)

Chairman Kim Sang-kyun of Korea Rail Network Authority (KR), concurrently chairman of the Korea Railway Association, delivers a speech at the 2019 Railroad Day anniversary event.

The anniversary event, held under the catchphrase “Our Dream, Together with Railroad, A New Era of Peace and Prosperity!” reminded wishes of those in the railway industry on co-prosperity and peace through connectivity of railway networks between the Korean Peninsula and the Eurasian Continent.

In his speech, MOLIT Vice Minister Kim called for redoubling efforts to ensure railway safety and develop railway technologies.

KORAIL President Sohn stressed the need for ramping up awareness toward railway safety to the extent people can sense changes as well as enhancing customer services. KR Chairman Kim formed an “organic cooperative regime” on pending major issues such as railway construction, maintenance and repair. He also said KR will make strenuous efforts to explore overseas railway markets.

The celebration of the Railroad Day anniversary takes on more significance since June 28 marks the first time the nation laid the groundwork to advance its railway system. Previously the country had been isolated from continental Asia as a kind of island.

During the inter-Korean summit on April 27, 2018, South and North Korea recognized the importance of railway connectivity. On June 8, 2018, South Korea became a regular member of the Organization for Cooperation between Railways.