Seen above is the Antarctic Jang Bogo Station in Terra Nova Bay, South Pole. Korea became the world’s 10th country to run more than one year-round research center in the Antarctic with the completion of the new research base. / Yonhap
Korea opened its second Antarctic research station, Wednesday, making it the 10th country to run more than one year-round station on the southernmost tip of the planet.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said that it has completed construction of the Jang Bogo Station in Terra Nova Bay on the eastern part of the frozen continent, and the station will begin operations from early March.
The new base was built 25 years after the country set up its first research center, the King Sejong Station, on King George Island in 1988. The two stations are 4,500 kilometers away from each other, and are run by the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) under the ministry.
The two research bases are expected to boost the country’s efforts to enhance its knowledge of Antarctic sciences and contribute to international collaboration on related academic disciplines, according to KOPRI.
The Jang Bogo Station, named after an admiral who controlled the southwestern coast of the Korean peninsula during the Shilla dynasty (57 BC-935 AD), was built on 4,458 square meters of land with international approval.
It comprises 16 buildings, including residences, laboratories and 24 observatory facilities, according to the ministry. It added the new research base can accommodate up to 60 people.
The station was constructed by the country’s No. 1 builder, Hyundai Engineering & Construction (E&C), starting in December 2012. It is designed to endure temperatures dropping to 40 degrees Celsius below zero, and to withstand winds speeds of up to 65 meters per second, the company said.
The ministry said 11 of 15 researchers to be stationed at the new base were selected from the King Sejong Station to share their knowhow about what is needed for survival at the South Pole.
The new station will be used for geographical research purposes, including the collection of data on glaciers, meteorites and the ozone layer, the ministry said. It also said the new base will serve as a test center for new plants, equipment, robots and materials that are developed by industrial and academic research centers in Korea for use in extreme conditions.
