Jeju gains what it is famous for not having

By Kim Tae-gyu

Staff reporter

Jeju island, the southernmost province of Korea, has the nickname "sammudo," which means it lacks three things - thieves, beggars and gates. Gates are unnecessary since there are no thieves or beggars.

A more modern version is that the remote island is presently without three new things - railroads, underground walkways and Starbucks coffee shops. However, all of them are likely to arrive there in the near future or already just have.

For instance, the island built a couple of underground walkways last year at its bustling downtown Jeju City while Starbucks outlets and railroads are also scheduled to infiltrate the island amid many tourist attractions.

"We have a strong interest in Jeju and are now checking the feasibility of Jeju operations. We open cafes when customers express a desire and we are receiving requests from Jeju," Starbucks Korea spokeswoman Joyce Park said.

"Many people are expected to visit if we set up outlets in airports or tourist resorts. Yet, we are required to factor in the uniqueness of Jeju. Since it is an island, its operation would incur more costs. We are struggling over the appropriate time to market."

Ever since the Seattle-based coffee giant advanced into Korea in 1999, Starbucks has expanded its locations across the country. Currently, it runs over 300 cafes in 35 cities in all provinces excluding Jeju.

Railroads are also soon to be seen on the island.

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM) started to research the viability of building an undersea rail tunnel linking Jeju Island to the peninsula similar to the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France.

"A consortium involving three state-run agencies began reality checks on the idea of building the undersea tunnel. They would finish the research midway through 2011," MLTM official Lee Jong-kuk said.

"We don't know whether the idea will be eventually adopted. But if the scheme gets the nod, it would be the longest undersea tunnel in the world."

Lee refused to elaborate on the plan but a report from the Korea Transport Institute (KOTI), which participates in the consortium, shed light on the initiative.

The Goyang, Gyeonggi Province-headquartered think tank came up with the proposal of constructing a 167-kilometer railroad with the undersea tunnel running 73 kilometers in length.

The KOTI projected that the rail link would take eight years to build at a cost of 14.6 trillion won ($13 billion). It is expected a total of 15 million people would take it a year in 2026 and would enable folks to travel from Seoul to Jeju in less than two and a half hours.