Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Holyjoe]

Was having a discussion the other day about why almost all road & rail traffic seems to go over the Han instead of under the Han, and one of my students said it was because it's a defence mechanism against North Korea - ie if they come pouring across the border then all the bridges can be destroyed and it would hold them up from crossing the river.

Plausible?

[Stunted Wookie]

naw not plausible....sounds too organized and thought out

[panthermodern]

The answer is very simple: while yes you can blow-up bridges you can also blow tunnels (eaiser too), the real factor is that bridges are cheaper and faster to build then tunnels. In addition it is much easier to expand, repair, and modify a bridge then it is a tunnel.

Economic factors make bridges more practical.

[bucheon bum]

Not plausible for the reason PM gave: you can blow up a tunnel just as easily.

the question is, why did they make line #5 go under the Han while every other line that crosses it is on a bridge?

[ratslash]

sounds good to me. i've also wondered about the national assembly building being on an island. not just on an island, on the corner of the island backed onto the river. surely a security issue?

[ratslash]

but then again, tunnels can also be destroyed, probably a lot easier than bridges.

[Mr. Pink]

You guys do know every bridge in Seoul is wired so they can blow it at short notice right? Ever wonder why there are soldiers on both sides of the bridges?

[Holyjoe]

I was thinking about this from the point of view of it being a defence mechanism today... and the thing about tunnels is although it would be easier to collapse one in, it would then perhaps be easier for the enemy to excavate the blockage than it would be to reconstruct a crossing over the river.

On the Assembly building point - is Yeouido actually an island now? Any time I've gone there I've failed to see where the river actually flows round it on the south side to make it an island. It appears they've done a lot of land reclamation work and it's actually a peninsula now...

[Hank Scorpio]

[Holyjoe]

[panthermodern]

Bridge wreakage would also stop the Han river from being a good invasion route down river.

One thing that gets me about the "Killbox" nickname:

Sure, there would be millions of civilian casualities, but, Seoul itself once ruined would be hellish to invade and very "easy" to defend.

Has anyone aside me noticed how far underground the Iteawon subway station is; I am sure part of the US defence plan is to use the subway system as part of a 3-D maginot line.

With modern weapons such as man carried Dragon, Stinger and Javelin missles, RF-RPG launchers, Barret sniper rifles, and other heavy weapons a very large amount of portable firepower could be carried around in the subway system by train or Hummer.

The subway system also seems to be "conveniently" above ground on most lines at speratic places. With modern heavy mortars, C3 and concealed spotters the U.S.A.F.K. could "shoot and scoot" in and out ot the tunnels.

Yes, the N.K. ART Strikes will kill millions, and the U.S.A.F. will quickly gain air superiority, but against the "human" wave across the DMZ, Seoul will be a rock vs that tide.

If you survive the Artillery, Gas, Bio-Chems, Nerve Gas, and possible Nukes is probibly as safe as any on the penninsula.

(Big Ifs)

[ratslash]

[diver]

Hank,

Pontoon bridges are fairly easy (says the guy who has never done it) to set up...on sunny days...in peacetime. sure I wouldn't want to be a North Korean engineer trying to do so while on the receiving end of US air power. YIKES!