The year 2009 marks the beginning of a bike revolution in Korea.
The first Tour de Korea opened on April 25th.
It's the nation's first cycling event that was organized under the auspices of the central and local governments to promote bikes as an eco-friendly transportation means.
[Interview : Cho Soo-kang, Participant
Tour de Korea ] "While biking, I think of many things. It's fun to race."
Thousands of bikers created a sea of bikes in the nation.
[Interview : Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul ] "It's a good way to conserve energy and keep the air clean. By reducing CO2 emissions, we also participate in climate change response. With multiple benefits, I hope this race will contribute to the creation of a city that prioritizes pedestrians, bikers and public transportation."
The participants departed from Seoul, and after stopping by Incheon, Chuncheon, Daejeon and Jeonju, they split into eastern and western routes before meeting all together in Changwon.
The event lasted nine days and ended in Changwon.
It was meaningful in that it was a result of collaboration between the government and the private sector.
The enthusiasm of ordinary people made it a success.
[Interview : President Lee Myung-bak] "I hope today's event will help Korea overcome the economic and environmental crises and set a good example for other countries."
Changwon, the final destination of the event, has received much credit for being a bike-friendly city, which is the result of the municipal government's proactive policies to promote the use of bikes.
One of them is the NUBIJA bike rental service.
NUBIJA stands for "Nearby Useful Bike, Interesting Joyful Attraction."
These public bikes are equipped with speedometers, electronic sensors and global positioning devices.
[Interview : Cho Kyung-ran, Changwon resident] "I like it very much. It's probably the best bike facility in the nation."
The NUBIJA service has been of great help to Changwon residents and the bikes will be expanded to 5-thousand by 2013.
[Interview : Park Wan-soo, Mayor of Changwon] "We believe that to become an eco-friendly and exemplar city, we must promote green transportation to reduce air pollution, deal with climate change and solve parking problems and traffic congestion."
The 1st Tour de Korea and Changwon's efforts have paved the way for the widespread use of bikes in Korea.
[Interview : ] "We can do it!"
MAY 18, 2009
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Friday, SEP 03, 2010, (KST) 
