(LEAD) S. Korea's longest bridge opens off west coast

(ATTN: CHANGES dateline; ADDS remarks by President Lee Myung-bak in paras 4, 6-7)
SEOUL/INCHEON, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's longest bridge opened Friday off
the country's west coast, paving the way for the government's ambitious drive to
develop the country into a key logistical hub in northeast Asia.

The 18.4km bridge connects the western port city of Incheon with Yeongjong
Island, where the nation's main gateway, Incheon International Airport, is
located.
The bridge is the longest ever built in South Korea and the seventh-longest in
the world. The world's No. 1 bridge in terms of length is the Lake Pontchartrain
Bridge in New Orleans that runs 38.4km, according to the Ministry of Land,
Transport and Maritime Affairs.
"We are now standing at the very site of a historic moment where the sky, the sea
and the land were all connected," President Lee Myung-bak said at a ceremony for
the opening of the bridge in Incheon. The bridge will be open to the public from
Monday.
Groundbreaking started in 2005 with a total of 2.45 trillion won (US$2.11
billion) having been injected since then. The bridge is expected to save around
40 minutes of transportation time between the airport and southern Seoul, while
reducing about 473.1 billion won in logistical costs annually, the ministry said.
This, Lee said, will have the same effect of planting 5 million pine trees each
year.
"The bridge will make Korea more beautiful and greener. It will be a bridge that
leads to a 'greater Korea' by making it accessible by air, sea and land," he
said.
The ministry said the bridge lays the groundwork for the country's drive to
become a logistical hub for Northeast Asia.
"It will also likely become an attraction for foreign tourists as its appearance
blends well with the natural environment, it said in a press release.
Various events will be held over the weekend, including a group bicycle ride, to
mark the opening of the bridge, according to the ministry.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)