Records of Korea’s First Highway Go Online

By Lee Jun-young

Korea Times Intern

Korea's first highway commemorated its 39th anniversary on July 7 by releasing records of its construction online. Information on the Gyeongbu Expressway, which stretches from Seoul to Busan, has been databased by the National Archives of Korea. This includes photos, paperwork and video clips from the 1960s and '70s.

The 428-km expressway is the oldest and most traveled route in Korea. It was regarded as a symbol of the nation's economic development, helping the country overcome poverty in the 1960s.

Statistical information and progress charts documenting the highway will be uploaded to the database (contents.archives.go.kr). Other materials include ceremonial speeches, toll charge trend and effects of the road on exports, transportation and the daily life of the Korean people.

The goal of releasing the freeway archives is to help the country continue to advance economically and structurally, according to Park Sang-duk, chief of the archives.

"We will make efforts to find out more records with historical value so that they could be used in diverse fields, such as policymaking, education and academic research," he said.