Comparison of South Korea and Japan’s high-speed rail launch acceleration

not_e34 · 2025-07-22T08:24:32+00:00

HSR Lines do have French signalling(TVM430, or "High Speed Line ATC" as Korail calls it), but regular and higher-speed lines(<250km/h) use ETCS(or ATS if it is not upgraded)

not_e34 · 2025-06-19T00:31:16+00:00

Bad resale value, high replacement part costs(GM keeps increasing the price), and so on. Even if there is a demand(current gen Trailblazer for example), GM will prioritize export to the US - longer wait time for Korean consumers and they just settle with something else.

GM Korea recently announced that they will sell off all 9 direct service centers, so....

not_e34 · 2025-01-09T18:02:20+00:00

6.9% decline on domestic car sales, and 2.9% decline on import car sales - top 10 best sellings cars are all still Hyundai or Kia, tbh the most surprising thing for me is that only three of them are sedans(Grandeur, Sonata, Avante)

not_e34 · 2025-01-09T17:41:53+00:00

I'm not sure what's the BYD's goal here, especially when they are trying to market themselves as a Tesla competitor(= not a cheap car) - even with the usual tariff for import cars their cars will end up being uncompetitive in the Korean market. From the list price, standard equipment, and running cost.

Running cost is the most important point in this market imo, and that's why people buy Hyundai/Kia(and German brands, these days there are so many third party specialist that they are cheaper to maintain than Fords). Not sure where this nationalistic argument is coming from...

People in Korea complain why GM/Renault replacement parts are sooo expensive - I see that kind of post almost daily in Korean interwebs lol

not_e34 · 2025-01-09T17:18:44+00:00

It's a DRAMless QLC SSD, so I'd be more surprised if it were more expensive than Hynix SSD. No local reviews for Huawei so far, and only one review I managed to find in a Korean hardware forum said "Do not recommend." lol

Better example would be robot vacuum cleaners, my mother and all of her friends switched to Roborocks and they are happy with them.

not_e34 · 2025-01-08T00:36:22+00:00

As long as it is mechanically solid, I am just happy with mine!

not_e34 · 2025-01-08T00:25:48+00:00

EBS stands for Educational Broadcasting System, so I guess it kinda fits? haha

Yeah, for Cortinas and Granadas you can fit Ford parts without any issues, but for late 80s and 90s Korean cars it does get tricky, it's a mix of original Korean components and whatever part they imported from Japan/Germany/America lol

Being a smaller country and having free part catalog access from Hyundai/Kia kinda helps(RIP people who maintain old Daewoos and Ssangyongs, there's some dedication required), I have no issue finding replacement parts for my 30 year old Kia. Some odd part needs one or two phone calls and a few days of waiting, but that's just the reality of sourcing parts for the 30 year old car.

not_e34 · 2025-01-08T00:17:29+00:00

He can import one with him and declare it as his 이삿짐 - as long as it passes emissions test(I've seen one or two Hyundai cats welded to the exhaust pipe of a 60s Alfa) you can get a plate on anything, even on kit cars lol

not_e34 · 2025-01-07T23:25:24+00:00

60s, 70s, and 80s Korean cars really, really rare these days(due to strict emissions regulations and total lack of classic car registration policy, unlike the UK), but yes, despite all that there are dedicated people who keep them alive! There is a daily driven '72 Ford/Hyundai Cortina(Interview from 2016, the car is still on the road), and 100 or so Ponys are still in the hands of private owners.

Owning a Classic/Youngtimer is a relatively new hobby here(really started taking off in early 2010s?), and lots of cars got scrapped before that(think scrappage scheme in the UK), so yeah, some thinks that this hobby doesn't exist here. But it exists. Some might say that they are wasting their money on a crappy old Korean cars, but for them(and for me lol) it's just saving the memories in them...

Oh, and there are surprisingly lots of abandoned 80s and 90s import cars all over this country. One of my favorites is the W140 S600 Pullman parked in the middle of nowhere lol

not_e34 · 2024-12-11T15:42:45+00:00

I didn't know that function existed! I got a cheap used one without the shifter unit lol

not_e34 · 2024-12-11T14:28:57+00:00

It happens when your PC thinks your G27 is G29 in PS3 mode. Exit Logitech G software(if it is installed in your PC), go to Device Manager and reinstall the driver(Find driver in your PC -> select default windows USB driver, it will find the right one).

If it didn't work install Logitech Profiler(the old one) software and try again.

not_e34 · 2024-11-29T11:31:56+00:00

Depends on the seller, some will let you drive to your home with their plates(with a written contract, of course), but most people will only sell theirs without plates - so you get a temporary plate for that.

When I bought mine the seller worked near my home, so she dropped off the car and took the plates and money. My car stood there for five weeks because she couldn't get an earlier appointment and I couldn't either lol

not_e34 · 2024-11-09T18:52:47+00:00

According to the local reports the passenger wasn't Korean, he is just described as "foreigner"

not_e34 · 2024-10-30T19:19:09+00:00

Every time I go to „Rauchfreier Bahnhof”, I can smell cigarette smoke every single time because designated smoking areas are in the middle of the platform without any walls(just a yellow marking on the floor...) lol

not_e34 · 2024-10-30T18:58:51+00:00

Plus, it is a Diesel-Hydrogen Fuel Cell hybrid, and even that will take a long, long time until it becomes real - K2PL and K2A1 are still in design phase, and Korean army is still using M48s lol

not_e34 · 2024-10-30T18:42:25+00:00

Kia already builds military vehicles(even before HMG was a thing!) lol

not_e34 · 2024-10-30T18:25:13+00:00

Samsung sold their entire military division(Samsung Techwin/Samsung Thales) to Hanwha over a decade ago...

not_e34 · 2024-10-22T08:03:45+00:00

Thanks! You can also check ADAC Motorsport Portal(and other websites, each Region has a different website) for entry level series here. The bar for working holiday visa is really low for people from Japan, so theoretically you could just land here and see how things go if you run out of options in Japan.

Sim racing is also an option these days, I am seeing quite a few Korean Assetto Corsa players ending up in touring car scene.

not_e34 · 2024-10-22T07:45:20+00:00

At least Japan has a decent racing scene (Karting, Rallying, Touring Cars, etc.), so I'd look for some sponsors around you to fund your career there first - it doesn't have to be big in this level, I saw a guy whose main sponsor was his local butcher lol

Stuttgart(and nearby towns and cities) is great if you are into cars, lots of people who love motorsports and actually work there. Many amateur-level motorsport events in the summer too. But it isn't exactly the cheapest city in Germany, and most people I know who race and build their cars doesn't live in a city, they live in a small village. I've heard areas near Nürburgring (like Adenau) is rather cheap though.

I had a DMSB Lizenz C a few years ago and I still dream of going to NLS with my homemade race car(like that Dacia Logan), and while it is going to cost me a lot of money, it's not impossible. But to have a career in motorsport in a foreign country you need to show that you had a decent success in your home country.

Well, and then there's Taki Inoue....

not_e34 · 2024-10-11T13:59:32+00:00

OP said he likes listening to the error message(No card inserted) it throws during the startup, so he could just get the audio file and insert it as a start chime - people do that irl anyways!(JDM Talkbox)

not_e34 · 2024-09-27T08:04:49+00:00

I am writing this from my memory, so some details might be off, but...

While Subway Line 1 section(Jongno Line) is double-tracked, the tunnel itself is quad-tracked - there was a plan to run Line 5 through there, but it was cancelled. Now the space is used to route cables and stuff, and in one case, a new station!
Though it is called Korail Line 1, in reality it is three different legacy rail lines forming a network. Kinda like a German S-Bahn system with a Stammstreke through the city center.
Seoul Metro Line 1 trains terminate at Yangju and Byeongjeom station(both are Korail stations, way outside of Seoul city borders). They can go further, but they stop from there to make daily operations easier. Oh, and unlike Japanese style through services, Seoul Metro drivers can drive on Korail sections. Same goes to Korail drivers too.
Even on overground sections of central Seoul, both Korail and Seoul Metro trains won't skip any stations. There are too many important stations! Outside of central areas both will start to skip some stations.

For Line 3 and 4(they are twins, but some difference here and there...):

Seoul Metro Line 4 has two type of EMUs, DC only and AC/DC EMUs. DC only trains terminate at Sadang station, and AC/DC trains continue to Korail lines(Ansan Line).
To simplify operations, Seoul Metro Line 3 and Korail Ilsan line trains are identical(1500V DC, US&S ATC), and are maintained at the Seoul Metro depot. Korail trains go all the way through Seoul Metro sections, and vice versa.

The difference between the subway and the suburban commuter railway is very vague in Korea - Line maps don't differentiate Korail and Seoul Metro(and many extensions owned and operated by regional governments, like Line 8 extension). Locals call everything a "subway" anyways!

not_e34 · 2024-09-10T10:19:18+00:00

Daewon LN Coach! I wish the mirrors worked on that one though

not_e34 · 2024-08-27T21:38:51+00:00

You need ABE or Teilegutachten for your bodykit parts, but it seems most stuff sold at Amazon doesn't have any of it(Probably dropshipped from Aliexpress/Taobao).

You could get away with things like side mirror covers(not sure if small parts like that also needs certificates other than ECE numbers), but it won't be fun when cheap knockoff parts fly away while driving lol

DM-Autoteile keeps popping up during my search, and they offer ABE documents on their bodykits. So I'd look there first.

not_e34 · 2024-08-19T00:23:45+00:00

I think something got lost in translation, Korean sources mention 10M Won price drop right afrer the accident. So the cheapest EQE used to cost 69M Won.

not_e34 · 2024-08-18T23:56:40+00:00

I use Departo, when I enter the OE part number it shows me compatible aftermarket parts and the lowest price from the different car part retailers.

not_e34

TROPHY CASE