A Feasibility Study on the Han River Area as the Construction Site for the Kyung Bu Canal

To facilitate the carriage of goods and products, an improvement of the transportation system is greatly needed in Korea. The construction of the Kyung Bu canal that can traverse over the wide area of southern Korea os proposed to be one of the most favorable choices to resolve this need. To fulfill this plan, we investigated the possibility of connecting the Han River (in the midwest) with the Nak-tong River (in the southeast) via the Cho-ryeong tunnel (20.5 km long and 125 m high). According to topographic and geological mapping analysis, we are capable of selecting the optimal locations for the tunnels and locking systems. The water requirement for high locking systems can be satisfied by constructing additional dams above the Choong-ju area or by introducing water saving lock system. The results of our investigation support the idea such a canal system, if constructed, could lead to a revolution of the Korea's transportation system.