By Kim Se-jeong
A legislator from California said the U.S. state is interested in learning from Korea’s experience with high speed trains.
California is undertaking a high-speed rail system connecting San Francisco and Sacramento in the north to San Diego and Los Angeles in the south.
John A. Perez, speaker of the state Assembly, and nine members of the delegation plan to visit the Korea Railroad Corporation Friday, for a meeting with CEO Jung Chang-young. “We hope to learn from your experience here,” Perez said during his meeting with Lee Sang-seok, president of the Hankook Ilbo, The Korea Time’s sister paper, Wednesday.
The $ 65.4-billion project was approved by referendum in 2008, and in June this year, the construction financing for the initial state of the project was approved by the state legislature. The construction is set to begin in spring next year and expected to take seven to 11 years to complete.
“We have a generation shift. Young people are drawn to public transportation,” he said. California is the state with the highest number of cars in the U.S.
The speaker noted the 450-mile rail system will create jobs and bring about other economic benefits. “Some ask whether the timing is right. I’d say it is the greatest time. We’ve never worked our way out through austerity alone, but also through a small investment.”
The delegation’s visit is co-sponsored by the Korea Times Foundation in Los Angeles.
Chang Jae-min, publisher and CEO of the Korea Times USA, is part of the delegation. The delegation arrived on Monday and is staying until Saturday.
The Kyung Hee University Medical Center, especially the East-West Medical Center was on their itinerary.
The state is looking into how to “integrate acupuncture into our treatment to make sure that we’re giving the medicine that they (people) are looking for,” Perez explained as to why the delegation wanted to visit the medical center. Thirty years ago, California established the country’s first Board of Acupuncture, illustrating its priority in maintaining diversity.
California is an epitome of the melting pot where multiple diverse ethnicities live together. The largest ethnic Korean community outside Korea is in California, numbering approximately 550,000.
Riots took place in the state in 1992, from which, the speaker said, it has grown. In April this year the 20th anniversary was commemorated.
The speaker presented proclamation issued by the Assembly to the president of the Hankook Ilbo in a token of appreciation for the paper’s support and contribution to California.
skim@koreatimes.co.kr