Korean-Made Bullet Train Rolls Out

The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs and rolling stock manufacturer Hyundai Rotem on Tuesday marked the roll-out of the Korean-made bullet train KTX-II in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province.

Korea is the fourth country in the world to manufacture and operate a bullet train that can make more than 300 km/h with its own technology after Japan, France and Germany.

The prototype KTX-II was manufactured and assembled in June 2002 and the trial run conducted in August that year.

During a trial run in September 2003, the KTX-II hit 300 km/h, and during another trial run in December 2004, it achieved 352.4 km/h. Some W200 billion (US$1=W1,502) was spent on development.