Seoul, Apr. 10 (BNA): South Korea has initiated a new research project aimed at developing magnetic levitation propulsion technology for an envisioned next-generation high-speed train system called the Hypertube.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of South Korea, in partnership with the Korea Railroad Research Institute, is spearheading the project. The Hypertube system is designed to use magnetic forces to levitate and propel a train through a low-pressure tube to dramatically reduce travel time.

At full speed, the Hypertube could theoretically reduce the travel time between Seoul and Busan, a distance of roughly 320 kilometers, to just 16 minutes and 15 seconds, or about one-seventh of the time it currently takes by the KTX high-speed train, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The research will focus on core technologies, such as electromagnet propulsion systems, precision control mechanisms and a high-speed transport body.

The project is scheduled to run through 2027, with a total budget of 12.7 billion won (US$8.54 million), including 3.68 billion won in 2025, according to the ministry.

H.K,S.H.A