By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
South Korea has selected Terra Nova Bay as the site for its second research station in the Antarctic, which will complement the King Sejong Base that opened in 1988.
Terra Nova Bay, a 64-kilometer-long area between Cape Washington and the Drygalski Ice Tongue along the coast of Victoria Land, offers easier accessibility and better operational conditions compared to other candidate sites such as Cape Burks, according to officials at the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs. The often ice-free bay is also where Italy's Zucchelli Station is located.
The new Korean base, which will cover about 3,300-square meters, will be located 74 degrees south latitude and 164 degrees east longitude. It will consist of five buildings accommodating 60 researchers and other staff.
Construction, which will cost around 100 billion won (about $88.4 million), is expected to begin in 2013 and be completed around April 2014, the ministry said. Korea will be then be the 9th nation in the world to operate more than one research station in the Antarctic.
Currently, there are 20 countries operating or building 39 bases in the South Pole. There are currently 17 Korean scientists working at the King Sejong Base.
"(Terra Nova Bay) is a great site, with easy accessibility being its biggest strength, and the location will also allow us to actively pursue joint international efforts," a ministry official said.
"The new base will also enable our researchers to conduct basic research in areas that had been difficult to do so far, including glaciers, meteorites, and the continent and continental shelf."
The government had also considered Cape Burks, at the edge of Hull Bay on Marie Byrd Island, but the huge coastal glaciers and severe weather conditions with strong winds of around 110 kilometers per hour that were reported for about 130 days per year, made it less attractive as a location.
Terra Nova Bay was rated highly by Korean experts for its accessibility, providing a relatively easy connection between the coast and the inland, and also a 5-kilometer-long ice runway that will enable effective air transport.
Terra Nova Bay will also allow the Koreans to better integrate themselves into international science projects.
The Italian researches based at the Zucchelli Station work closely with the Antarctic programs of the United States and New Zealand, and the Koreans are hoping to join in these international efforts.
The selection of the research site was based on data collected from the recent expeditions of Araon, the country's first icebreaker, which toured the candidate sites from January to February.
Korea has shown particular interest in improving its understanding of the polar environment, opening the King Sejong Base two decades ago and also opening an Arctic research base in 2002.
thkim@koreatimes.co.kr
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