OPENING OF BRIDGE CONNECTING ISLANDS

[Anchor Lead]

The Wonsan-Anmyeon Bridge connecting Wonsando Island in Boryeong and Anmyeon Island in Taean has opened after a nine-year construction. Once the underwater tunnel that links Wonsando Island and Daecheon Port is completed in 2021, the bridge and the tunnel are expected to change the tourism map of the west coast.

[Pkg]

The 1.7-kilometer Wonsan-Anmyeon Bridge connects Wonsando Island in Boryeong and Anmyeon Island in Taean. It's the longest offshore bridge in the west coast region of Chungnam and the sixth longest in the nation. Nine years after its construction began in 2010, the bridge is finally open.

[Soundbite] LEE DONG-SEOK(CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISOR) : "The bridge aims to improve the islands' living conditions by expanding roads in the west coast and achieving balanced regional growth."

It's welcome news for island residents who depended on ferries that operated only two or three times a day to get out to the mainland.

[Soundbite] LEE NAM-HWA(WONSANDO ISLAND RESIDENT) : "When we had an emergency patient, we had to first travel on a boat to go to Daecheon Port where an ambulance was waiting. Now that the bridge is open, an ambulance can come here directly."

With the bridge ready, various offshore recreational projects in nearby areas can begin. The bridge will also help develop the Anmyeon region into a tourism destination. A resort complex and a marine cable car system will be built in Wonsando Island by 2025 and an observation tower erected at Yeongmok Port in Taean.

[Soundbite] KIM MI-SUK(TAEAN RESIDENT) : "While visitors pass by, they will end up buying some seafood specialties or have some noodles."

Korea's longest underwater tunnel measuring 6.9 kilometers that connects Wonsando Island and Daecheon Port is scheduled to be completed by 2021. Once the tunnel opens, travel between Anmyeondo and Wonsando Islands and DaecheonPort will only involve a 10 minute drive. The upgrades will dramatically transform the tourism map of the west coast.