Jeonju Hanok Village Tourism Tram Introduction Public Forum Held

Tram Loop on a 3.3km Section by 2023

Korea Railroad Research Institute Research Director Gwak Jae-ho is giving a presentation on the topic of 'What is a Catenary-Free Tourist Tram'. Photo by Jeonju City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hong Jaehee] Jeonju City in Jeollabuk-do gathered expert and citizen opinions for the introduction of a tourist tram to add charm to the Hanok Village travel experience.

On the 29th, the city announced that it held a ‘Citizen Forum for the Introduction of the Jeonju Hanok Village Tourist Tram’ at the Jeonju Hanbyeok Culture Center, attended by about 50 people including officials from the Korea Railroad Research Institute and residents of Hanok Village.

This forum was organized to increase residents’ understanding of the tourist tram that will open the Hanok Village 2.0 era and to establish the direction of the tourist tram based on citizen consensus.

First, Choi Hoon-sik, Director of the Citizen Transportation Division, emphasized in a presentation titled ‘Plan for the Introduction of the Jeonju Hanok Village Tourist Tram’ that a new approach such as a tram is necessary to create a sustainable Hanok Village rather than external expansion.

He also introduced the tram route (proposal), tram vehicle production plan, and future schedule based on the results of the preliminary feasibility study.

Next, Kwak Jae-ho, Head of the Catenary-Free Tram Research Group at the Korea Railroad Research Institute, gave a presentation titled ‘What is a Catenary-Free Tourist Tram?’ covering overseas tram introduction cases and effects, legal systems, and the basic design (proposal) and design of the tourist tram to be introduced in Jeonju, helping attendees’ understanding.

After the presentations, a comprehensive discussion was held chaired by Professor Kwon Yong-seok of Jeonju University, with participants including Kim Nam-gyu, Policy Chairman of the Participatory Autonomy Jeonbuk Citizens’ Coalition, Myung Myo-hee, Director of Traffic Engineering Research at the Road Traffic Authority, Cho Kyung-hoon, Director of OCS Urban Architecture Office, Professor Choi Young-gi of Jeonju University, Han Sang-soo, Hanok Village interpreter guide, and Lee Kang-jun, Director of the Jeonju City Citizen Transportation Headquarters.

An open discussion was also conducted to listen to citizens’ opinions and resolve their questions.

The city plans to actively incorporate the various opinions derived from the forum to explore the direction of the project.

Additionally, this year, a basic planning service will be promoted to prepare detailed business plans, vehicle designs, financial analysis, and optimal investment plans, followed by detailed design next year, with construction scheduled to begin in 2022.

The Jeonju Hanok Village tourist tram aims to operate 7 vehicles by 2023, circulating 3.3 km along 7 stations including the Tourist Information Center, Gyeonggijeon, Jeondong Cathedral, Jeonju Stream, Hyanggyo, and Omokdae, and plans to build a vehicle depot as well.

The tram vehicles will be 9 meters long, with a capacity of 25 seats, designed as catenary-free tourist trams that harmonize with the Hanok Village scenery, and tourism products such as restaurants and cafes will be developed inside the trams simultaneously.

Lee Kang-jun, Director of the Citizen Transportation Headquarters, said, “The tourist tram will make Hanok Village a sustainable tourist destination, revitalize the old downtown, and provide travelers with an eco-friendly means of transportation. The differentiated tram, suitable for Hanok Village and linked to the project of turning the entire Hanok Village into an urban garden, will be a catalyst to further develop Jeonju’s tourism industry.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.