NSP통신

(부산=NSP통신 도남선 기자) = The Yeongdo Bridge was opened on Nov 27 during the Japanese colonial era and now it has come to represent Busan as a new cultural landmark harboring the city’s identity and history. NSP News has more on this story.

The Yeongdo Bridge was opened in November, 1934, during the Japanese colonial era becoming the first single leaf bascule Bridge in the nation, and the biggest of its kind in Asia.

It was after the Korean War that the bridge started to rise as a dramatic place in Korean modern history. In the midst of the raging war, people were separated and eventually met on this bridge with great hopes for the future.

The official name of the Yeongdo Bridge was ‘영도다리도개’. The leaf of the bridge was raised to an angle of 75 degrees, allowing 1,000 ton ships to pass beneath. It was the first bridge connecting the mainland to an island between Jung gu and Yeongdo as well as the first bascule bridge. The bridge used to be raised 7 times a day until it was closed in 1966 as traffic volume increased and more water pipes needed to be installed.

The city of Busan launched a restoration project for the Yeongdo Bridge in 2007 and completed the construction for the pier and the upper deck. Now, it has returned to receive the citizens of Busan, with its lanes expanded from 4 to 6.

The Yeongdo Bridge will be raised for 20 minutes from 12 pm every day.

This is where the unique history of the Yeongdo Bridge has been revived and has become a culture and tourism content item. NPS News Park Sae-Jin.