Why were Korea's high-speed rail stations built so far from city centers?

"What?

There's nothing around the station." Whenever you take the KTX or SRT to an unfamiliar city, you will be struck by how desolate the area around the station is.

Downtown high-speed rail stations, such as those in Busan, Dongdaegu and Daejeon, are the exception.

Most stand on urban outskirts or amid open fields and rice paddies.

Some trains even stop in mountainous areas with few homes nearby.

There is no need to single out particular cities, as similarly bleak surroundings are found at many stations.

How did so many of Korea's high-speed rail stations end up in such remote locations?

That question is the starting point for "Leaving the Lonely Station," written by Jun Hyun-woo, a researcher at the Natural Science Research Institute at the University of Seoul.

Beginning with the unusual locations of KTX stations, the book shifts its focus to Korea's reliance on cars, the energy crisis and regional population decline.

These remote locations stem from several factors.

High-speed trains operating at 300 kilometers per hour require relatively straight tracks, preventing substantial deto ...