A new large car ferry for the Jeju-Pyeongtaek sea route will be initiated.

The Jeju Special-Governing District announced on March 7 that the Sechang shipping company will begin running Cordelia, a 8,500-ton-heavy car ferry that can accommodate 700 people, from March 17.

Jeju expects that a liner for the Jeju-Pyeongtaek sea route will improve tourist’s accessibility to the island. Moreover, the car ferry will increase the number of group tourists, including students on school trips.

Jeju also predicts to secure a bridge-head to attract tourists who come into Pyeongtaek harbor from four parts of China. The number of tourists from Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Chungcheong will also probably increase.

The Cordelia will depart Jeju harbor at 6:30 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and from Pyeongtaek harbor at 7 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. One-way fare for a third-class cabin is 60,000 won for adults. Jeju citizens can get a 10 percent discount, and middle and high school students can receive a 20 per-cent discount.

Jeju clarified that besides The Cordelia, four more ships are planned to run at Jeju harbor and Sungsanpo harbor.

Currently, there are 11 liners for six routes that connect Jeju and other parts of Korea: Jeju-Wando, Jeju-Busan, Jeju-Mokpo, Jeju-Incheon, Jeju-Nokdong, and Sungsan-Jangheung. Last year, the total number of travelers who came by ferry was 1,815,000.

(By Kim Seung Jong, Jeju Ilbo reporter. Translated by Koh Yu Kyung)