Intrepid Photographers Fined for Trespassing After Tunnel Becomes Photo Hotspot

Those trespassing on the tracks can be fined 250,000 won (US$210) for the first offense, 500,000 won for the second, and 1 million won for the third under the railroad safety law. (Yonhap)

UIJEONGBU, Oct. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Gyeonggi Province has urged citizens not to enter a railroad tunnel after it was mistakenly identified as a photo zone.

The Gyooe Line, 31.8-kilometer-long suburban line connecting Goyang, Yangju and Uijeongbu, stopped passenger transportation in 2004.

However, it is still an operating railway with cargo and military trains. Therefore, citizens should not enter without permission, the provincial government said Wednesday.

For some time, citizens have been visiting the railway under the mistaken impression that it had closed down.

In particular, it has been wrongly recognized as a closed railway where people take “life photos” because it was advertised on travel-related websites as a closed railway.

Those trespassing on the tracks can be fined 250,000 won (US$210) for the first offense, 500,000 won for the second, and 1 million won for the third under the railroad safety law.

Access to nearby sites as well as tracks is subject to fines, and those who post photos online will also face punishment if they are not deleted.

“We are currently making various efforts to resume passenger transportation services in Gyeonggi Province,” said a provincial official, asking for cooperation from tourists and other citizens.

In fact, Gyeonggi Province, along with the cities of Goyang, Yangju and Uijeongbu, signed a “working agreement for the resumption of cross-border operations and the establishment of subway lines” last month, and has also submitted a public proposal to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)