TRANSFORMING COAL-TRANSPORTING ROUTES

[Anchor Lead]

When the coal mining industry was thriving in Gangwon-do Province, there used to be a large number of routes to transport coal. However, the routes have been nearly forgotten since coal mines were shut down. The Gangwon-do provincial government has announced plans to transform these coal-transporting routes into a 160-kilometer hiking trail.

[Pkg]

A line of carts carrying coal continues to come out of a mine. The excavated coal is loaded into rope-hung carts and transported along a mountain path. This was a route to transport excavated coal. For former mine workers, it brings back a variety of memories from the past.

[Soundbite] Choi Chang-rim(Former miner) : "After we sorted out big stones, coal was transported through the route. Both empty carts and full carts also ran along the route."

A project will launch to convert these coal-transporting routes into a hiking trail called "Untangodo." With the support of the provincial government, four cities and counties in Gangwon-do Province with closed coal mines will join hands for the project. The trail stretches some 160 kilometers -- a course for a six-day journey. It begins in Cheongryongpo in the inland county of Yeongwol and passes through Gossi Cave, Gangwon land in Jeonggseon, Maebong Mountain and the Hill of Winds in Taebaek. The trail ends in Samcheok port on the east coast. The original form of the old routes will be kept in tact as much as possible to minimize environmental damage.

[Soundbite] Lee Mun-do(Official in charge of trail transformation) : "We worked hard to select a safe route to ensure the safety of hikers."

The provincial government predicts that the transformation will create an annual economic effect worth 14.5 billion won.

[Soundbite] Kim Tae-hoon(Gangwon Provincial Gov't) : "Regions with closed coal mines are impoverished. Linking the four regions as one tourism belt will attract tourists and help boost the local economy."

The first phase of the trail linking Yeongweol and Taebaek will be completed this October. The second stage from Taebaek to Samcheok will be finished in the first half of next year.