In the spring of 1998, Korea's first high-speed train, manufactured in France, arrived at Masan Port. Twenty-seven years later, in December of last year, a high-speed train designed and built in Korea was loaded onto a ship at the same Masan Port and departed for Uzbekistan; since May of this year, it has been actually running across the 1,020 km desert from Tashkent to Khiva. In between, there are the records of the technical team dispatched to the Alstom factory in France, who learned by creating parts lists by hand without even receiving proper photos of the components; the assessment that "independent development is impossible"; and the lineage of independent design that stretched from the HSR-350X to the KTX-Sancheon, KTX-Ieum, and KTX-Cheongryong. We follow this 30-year history with facts, covering why a country that had been riding Spanish trains for 15 years chose Korea as the partner for its longest new route, as well as Hyundai Rotem's 270 billion won contract and Korail's operational know-how. ▶ Changed the Global Landscape 전 세계 지형을 바꿨습니다

References

Koo Bon-hyuk, "Evolving from High-Speed ​​Rail Importer to Exporter... 30 Years of KTX Running Without Rest," Herald Business, July 27, 2026

Seo Mi-deum, "K-High-Speed ​​Rail, First Overseas Commercial Operation... Running 1,020km in Uzbekistan," Asia Business, May 6, 2026

Choi Min-ji, "Hyundai Rotem High-Speed ​​Rail Runs in Uzbekistan... First Overseas Commercial Operation," Digital Daily, May 6, 2026

So Min-ho, "'Korean-Style High-Speed ​​Rail Runs in Uzbekistan' Railway Day Ceremony on the 24th," Herald Business, June 23, 2026

Hong Jeong-myeong, "Hyundai Rotem Holds 'Departure Ceremony' for Early Shipment of Uzbekistan High-Speed ​​Rail Vehicles in Changwon," Newsis 2025/12/10

Chae Song-moo, "Domestic High-Speed ​​Rail Vehicles Make First-Ever Overseas Expansion... Hyundai Rotem Wins Uzbekistan Project," NewsPim, 2024/6/14

Choi Ji-young, "Hyundai Rotem Exports K-High-Speed ​​Rail to Uzbekistan for the First Time in History," Munhwa Ilbo, 2024/6/16

Hyundai Rotem, "Hyundai Rotem Wins High-Speed ​​Rail Supply and Maintenance Project in Uzbekistan" Press Release, Hyundai Rotem Newsroom, 2024/6/14

Joo Moon-jeong, "Achieves 90% Localization Rate for KTX-Ieum Parts... Localization of 10 Key Components," ZDNet Korea, 2024/11/27

Ban Geuk-dong, "[Pabalma] Issue No. 131. Anecdotes of TGV Vehicle Selection and Technology Introduction," Railway Economy, 2024/3/19

Lee Chun-hee, "KTX Built by Importing French Technology, Now "Standing Shoulder to Shoulder with France", Asia Business Daily, July 9, 2020

Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, "'KTX-Ieum' Opens... President Moon: 'This Year is the Era of Low-Carbon and Eco-Friendly Railways'", Republic of Korea Policy Briefing (korea.kr), January 4, 2021

The Korea Economic Daily, "Succeeded in Localization While Enduring Homegrown Troubles and Hardships... Why the 'KTX Myth' Is in Crisis", The Korea Business Daily, October 10, 2022

The Korea Times (Yonhap), "Hyundai Rotem Secures 1st High-Speed ​​Train Export Deal in Uzbekistan", The Korea Times, June 14, 2024

Railway PRO, "Uzbekistan Orders High-Speed ​​Trains from Hyundai Rotem", Railway PRO, June 19, 2024

Railway Gazette International, "Hyundai Rotem High Speed ​​Trainset on Its Way to Uzbekistan", Railway Gazette International, 2025/12

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Photo Sources: Getty Images Korea, Hyundai Rotem Newsroom, Uzbekistan Railway Authority (UTY), KORAIL (Korea Open Government Access), National Archives of Korea, Korea Railroad Research Institute

#HighSpeedRail #Uzbekistan #HyundaiRotem