#109 From Seoul to Osan: Bicycles, Bike Paths, Watersheds

[스티븐스 대사]

May 28, 2011

As many of you remember, last year I bicycled  from Namhae to Daegu, some 300 km, or 600 li, with 50 Korean university students to see for ourselves the sites of some of the heaviest fighting early in the Korean War, the defense of the Nakdong Perimeter in 1950.  We learned so much from the trip, and met so many unforgettable people, that we in the Embassy decided we would try to experience more of Korea by bicycle.  This time, we’re going from Seoul to Mokpo and Jindo.  On a beautiful Saturday morning, at the start of a three-day weekend marking U.S. Memorial Day, we were off!

Group Photo at Start in front of CMR Gate

We departed my residence next to Deoksugung, en route to the Samchuly Bicycle Factory in Euiwang.  The group was a pretty diverse lot, although I was hoping for a bit more gender balance (I was the only woman) – we had Embassy workers, Korean and American; Korean friends; friends from the United States visiting Korea; and we were joined by soldiers and civilians from U.S. Forces Korea.  Amazingly, despite being in downtown Seoul, once we crossed the Han River Bridge (Hangang Daegyo), from there all the way to the Samchuly factory in Euiwang, we encountered no vehicle traffic, staying on bike paths the entire way.  In fact, on this 90 km ride, fully 60 percent of the ride was on bike trails.

Enjoying a short break after crossing the Hangang Bridge

Most of the trails we rode today, both in Seoul and in the surrounding areas in Suwon and Osan, lie adjacent to streams and other small tributaries, a natural place to put them.  These streams in turn feed into larger water systems, even to the Han River, forming what we call the Han River watershed.  As we passed by people young and old from all walks of life, people who use these bike paths and the adjacent lands for festivals, picnics, and witnessed this strong and vibrant culture, I began to think about how important these bike paths are to boosting environmental awareness of the importance of watersheds and watershed management, an indirect way bike paths help protect the environment.  Scientists note that watersheds are crucial to maintaining overall water quality in an area.  As we rode from metropolitan Seoul into some industrial areas of Suwon, it was clear that citizens from all the surrounding areas and from varying economic backgrounds were enjoying the benefits of these paths and, by extension, the benefits of improving watershed management.  In both the U.S. and Korea we are committed, as we learn more and more about the importance of these watersheds for overall health and environmental conservation, to protecting and preserving these important natural resources.

With bicycles, bicycles!

The Samchuly factory was, for cycling fans like us, “like being kids in a candy store.”  We viewed carbon-fiber, aluminum, and even titanium frame cycles, for both road and mountain biking.  Samchuly’s story in some ways mirrors the history of cycling – and industrialization – in both Korea and the United States.  Samchuly began building bicycles in 1944.  Early on, Samchuly’s bicycle factory was a key component in Korea’s industrial development.  (This was true in the U.S. as well – remember the Wright Brothers, before their famous first flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903, built bicycles.)  As the country developed economically and industrially, consumer tastes changed to reflect increasing affluence, and the demand for cars rose while cycling declined.  Most interesting, however, as both Korea and the United States are in many ways fully developed, there has been a renewed interest in cycling, particularly at the high end of the market.  Samchuly executives told us that Koreans, increasingly including Korean women, are turning to bicycles as not just transportation but as a mode of leisure.  It is there that Samchuly has found a successful niche, as it imports U.S. components to make some of the best bikes in the world – GT, and their own brand, Cello, among others.  Samchuly is looking forward to the day when the KORUS FTA goes into effect, so that the current 8 percent levy on U.S. cycles and cycling components will fall to zero, giving Samchuly a new competitive edge.

As we walked to lunch with the Samchuly executives in the industrial neighborhoods in Euiwang, I saw the heart of Korea’s industrial sector, the small and medium-sized companies of Korea.  These are the companies – many of them auto parts supplies -- who will also benefit from ratification of the KORUS FTA.  I hope that they get the chance to take advantage of those benefits in the near future.