2015: The Launch of a Tourist Train with a Folk Song Motif in South Korea

January 22, 2015

In South Korea’s northeastern area, operations began for a scenic tourist train in Jeongseon County in the state of Gangwon-do. This premium transit service, which is run by the Korea Railroad Corporation (branded as Korail), is popularly known as the A-Train; its full name is the Jeongseon Arirang A-Train.

Arirang is a Korean folk song that is estimated to be at least 600 years old and widely believed to have originated in present-day Jeongseon County. This song is included in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This song was also added to the South Korean Cultural Heritage Administration’s own list of important intangible cultural assets.

On the day of the A-Train’s official debut, Kim Rahn of the Seoul-based Korea Times highlighted both the use of Arirang as a motif for the train and the incorporation of key components within this new means of tourist transportation.

Rahn reported, “Designed by the British company Tangerine, the exterior of the train is decorated with curves that symbolize the Arirang melody, while the [interior colors] represent Jeongseon’s well-known geographical features such as the Dong River and the mountain ridges.”

Rahn also noted, “The A-train also has windows that can be opened, the first of its kind on a long-haul train. The windows are also wider than [those of other trains] to allow passengers to have better views of Jeongseon’s natural beauty.”

Lee Eiung-dae, the general manager of Korail’s tourism business division, also underscored the high expectations for the brightly colored A-Train at the time of its launch. He said, “We hope this train provides visitors the chance to learn more about the cultural opportunities that Jeongseon has to offer.” (The accompanying photo of the train was taken six days before it began regular operations.)

Photo Credit: Korea.net (https://www.korea.net/) / Korea Culture and Information Service (Jeon Han), licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

For more information on the A-Train (Jeongseon Arirang A-Train), please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-Train_(Korail)