The Korean railway industry, academia and research circles are joining forces to solidify the global stranding of the Korean railway industry, standing in a “golden era.”
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) held a ceremony to celebrate “2025 Railway Day” anniversary in Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on June 26.
The event was jointly organized by the Korea Railway Industry Association (KORASS), Korea National Railway (KR), KORAIL, SR and Korea Railway Culture Foundation.
The event was sponsored by Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI) and the Korea Society for Railway (KSR).
Chmn. Lee Seong-hai of the Korea Railway Industry Association (KORASS), concurrently chairman of Korea National Railway (KR), give a speech at the event. (Photos: KR)
Railway Day is observed annually to raise the standing of railways, the nation’s key means of transportation, and public interest in it and to give words of encouragement to people in the railway industry.
The 2025 Railway Day anniversary event took place under the theme “Making Railways Safe Together, Future Railways Running Toward the World,” a message of maintaining the safety of railways and wishing for “K-railway’s” entry into several parts of the world.
Dignitaries, including MOLIT Vice Minister Baek Won-kug and KORASS Chmn. Lee Seong-hai, pose at the 2025 Railway Day anniversary event.
Among about 400 people on hand at the event were MOLIT Vice Minister Paik Won-gook, KR Chmn. Lee Seong-hai; KORAIL Vice President Chung Jeong-rae; SR Vice President Shim Young-joo; KRRI President Sagong Myung, former KR chairman Sohn Hak-rae; ex-KR chairman Chung Chang-young; former KR chairman Kim Sang-gyun; ex-KR chairman Kim Han-young; Hyundai Rotem President Lee Yong-bae; KRCF Chmn. Lee Yong-sang; and KSR Chmn. Kim Jae-moon.
In his commemorative speech, KORASS Chmn. Lee Seong-hai, concurrently KR chairman, said, “Today’s railways have established themselves as key national infrastructure, realizing balanced development of the national territory, carbon neutrality and transportation innovation beyond simple transportation means, and we live in an era in which the railway is a mainstream one beyond railway renaissance.”
“The Great Train Express, the world’s top speed commuter train, has become a sign of changes, and the GTX-A has realized a transportation revolution by surpassing 10 million passengers in cumulative figures just 14 months since its opening last year, and we will carry out the earlier dedication of GTA-, B, and C lines and extension projects without interruption,” Chmn. Lee said.
Chmn. Lee said, “We have to ramp up the technology competitiveness of the railway industry amid digital transformation trends, introduce earlier the latest technologies, such as digital twin, AI-based maintenance and repair and self-driving trains and spearhead future railways by commercializing the next-generation train control system KTC-3, eco-friendly trains based on hydrogen energy and developing hyper tube systems.”
MOLIT presented presidential prizes to a combined 90 people. Among the presidential prize winners in recognition of their contribution to the development of the railway industry and exploring of overseas markets were KORAIL General Manager Kim Byung-ho, SR Deputy General Manager Kim Dae-bong, Seoul Rail President Lee Ja-young and KR Deputy General Manager Ham Joo-hee.
In his commemorative speech, MOLIT Vice Minister Paik said, “K-railway has established itself as Korea’s proud export brand, Korean-made high-speed trains were exported to Uzbekistan last year for the first time, and a contract to export metro trains worth 2.2 trillion won was struck, the most-ever, to Morocco was struck last year, opening a new chapter of K-railway renaissance.”
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