Gyeong-in Waterway puts Seoul back on the maritime map

Abstract

Seoul in South Korea is once again a maritime port. The Korean War effectively severed the city's connection with the Yellow Sea in 1953 when the Han River estuary became part of the military demarcation line between North and South Korea. However, through some inspired planning and innovative engineering, a recently built flood-diversion channel has just been converted into an 18 km navigable shipping route from Incheon on the coast to the heart of the capital – complete with significant port and warehousing facilities at each end. This paper describes the evolution of Gyeong-in Waterway from a minor drainage channel to a major multi-purpose waterway.