Editing Transport in South Korea (section)

==History==
Development of modern infrastructure began with the first Five-Year Development Plan (1962–66), which included the construction of 275 kilometers of [[railway]]s and several small [[highway]] projects.<ref name="unpan2">{{cite web|url= http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/apcity/unpan008650.pdf|title= Infrastructure Development in Korea|publisher=United Nations Public Administration Network|access-date=2005-05-19}}</ref> Construction of the [[Gyeongbu Expressway]], which connects the two major cities of [[Seoul]] and [[Busan]], was completed on 7 July 1970.

In 1970, around half of the population of Seoul, one of South Korea's most industrial cities, had moved to it only in the prior decade.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population Change and Development in Korea |url=https://asiasociety.org/education/population-change-and-development-korea |access-date=2023-12-08 |website=Asia Society |language=en}}</ref> With the rapid increase of people traveling across the country, a means of transporting large groups of people was needed. Public transportation, such as [[tram]]s and railways, was installed for these people to move quickly. These people naturally settled in close proximity to jobs or near easy-to-move stations. The concentration of population in large cities continued and more transportation was needed to move these people.

The 1970s saw increased commitment to infrastructure investments. The third Five-Year Development Plan (1972–76) added the development of [[airport]]s and [[seaport]]s. The [[Seoul Subway|Subway]] system was built in Seoul, the highway network was expanded by 487&nbsp;km and major port projects were started in [[Pohang]], [[Ulsan]], [[Masan]], [[Incheon]] and Busan.<ref name="unpan2"/>

The development of industry and automobile technology in the 1960s<ref>{{Cite web|last=Yoon|first=Kim|date=2020|title=1960s in Korea|url=http://theme.archives.go.kr/next/tabooAutonomy/taboo1970.do|website=National Archives of Korea|language=ko}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Wile|first=Rob|title=South Korea Looked Just Like North Korea 50 Years Ago [PHOTOS]|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/old-1960s-photos-of-seoul-korea-2013-4|access-date=2020-06-25|website=Business Insider}}</ref> led to a growing number of people having private cars, mainly in advanced countries such as Europe. The number of cars has more than doubled in Europe in a decade. People can go anywhere, anytime by car. Even now, the demand for cars continues to grow. Increased demand for cars has also helped ease the population's downtown concentration. This is because you can buy a cheap house in a relatively remote area that was difficult to access by public transportation and travel by car. At first, residential areas were formed in the center of the city, and the size of the city grew as the concentric circle grew from the center. Of course, new roads had to be built and intersections, circular roads and highways had to be built to accommodate the growing number of cars. In other words, transportation systems such as private cars and road expansion have been developed to speed up travel time. The problem of environmental pollution is also a reason why public transportation has developed. The car's fuel is consumed and [[pollutant]]s such as [[nitrogen oxide]]s, [[carbon monoxide]], [[hydrocarbon]]s and dust due to incomplete combustion are also released. By the 1990s, cars also emitted [[sulfur dioxide]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Yoon|first=Kim|date=2020|title=Association between exposure to traffic-related air pollution and pediatric allergic diseases based on modeled air pollution concentrations and traffic measures in Seoul, Korea: a comparative analysis|journal=Environmental Health|volume=19|issue=1|page=6|doi=10.1186/s12940-020-0563-6|pmid=31937319|pmc=6961284 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2020EnvHe..19....6M }}</ref>

The railroad network experienced improvements in the 1980s with [[electrification]] and additional track projects. Operation speed was also increased on the main lines. Though the railroad was still more useful for transportation of freight, passenger traffic was also growing. There was 51,000 kilometers of roadways by 1988. Expressway network was expanded to connect more major cities and reached a combined length of 1,539 kilometers before the end of the decade.