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`The history of Korean railroad dates back to September 18,1899, when the 33.2 km Kyung-In line linking Noryangjin and Chemulp`o was opened. The idea of railroad development was first suggested in 1889 when Lee Ha-young, then the acting Korean Minister to the United States, brought in a railroad model to promote railroad construction. Attempts to build up a railway system with capital supplied from Korean nationalists suffered repeated frustrations due to financial difficulties, and the first railway line was finally laid with Japanese capital. Japan monopolized the use of the railroad, taking advantage of it as a means of colonial exploitation and aggression until the end of its rule if Korea. The National Economic and Social Development Plans in the 1960s and 70s established the industrial railway as a major source of national transportation, while the dedication of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway System ushered in the era of electrified urban rail networks. With the launching of Saemaul Super-express train services, which cut the traveling time from Seoul to Pusan to four hours, travel that once took days or weeks became a one-day affair. Once the driving force behind the nation`s economic development in the age of industrialization, the railroad industry is now poised to make a fresh start at the threshold of the 21st century, when the railway network will serve as a leading means of transport, making the unified Korea the economic hub of Northeast Asia in terms of logistical activities and trade. In addition, we now have a vision of a bright future with such innovative means of transport as the high speed railway, electrified light rail, and magnetic levitation trains--often described as a dream train--all linked to the continental rail networks. The Ministry of Information and Communication is issuing a stamp in commemoration of the centennial of the Korean National Railroad. The stamp features the Mogul tank steam locomotive, the first locomotive in Korea, to celebrate the expectation of the renewed development of the Korean national railroad in the upcoming millennium. `