Located at 197 meters above sea level and overlooking Busan Port, a place where many evacuees lived in shanty houses during the 6-25 War and shared the pain of the loss of their kin, a place where you can draw a panoramic view of the anti-Japanese independence movement and the democratic protest movement in Busan, and a place where you can go up to the Jungang Park located in Yeongju-dong, Jung-gu, Busan, there is Chunghontap, a memorial tower that enshrines the spirits of patriotic soldiers and police officers from Busan who died fighting for the country after the founding of the Republic of Korea on August 15, 1948.

 The spirit chamber, built in a semicircle under the nine colonnades of Chunghontap, houses the plaques of 7,704 war dead. Originally located in Yongdusan Park, it was moved in 1982 when Busan created Jungang Park. Chunghon Pagoda is a majestic 70-meter-high pagoda (39 meters at the top and 31 meters at the bottom), and it is a majestic sculpture that looks like the spirits of the Korean War are guardians of the local area and overlook the coast of Busan.

On the way up to Chunghon Tower from Jungang Park, an inclined elevator is installed for the convenience of the elderly bereaved members of veterans' organizations, the disabled, the elderly, and pregnant women.

Last year, the Busan Facilities Corporation decided to install an inclined elevator to improve the accessibility of Chunghon Pagoda as veterans' groups such as the Widows' Association and the Liberation Association and visitors aged, while at the same time determining that wheelchair users and young people had difficulty using it. The inclined elevator was constructed for four months from February to June this year and debuted in August to provide an optimal mobility environment for visitors.

"I'm not familiar with the idea of an elevator moving like an escalator, but it's interesting," said one tourist. "Because of its unique design and movement, some people sometimes inquire about the usage fee, but it is free to use," said Lee Jong-sung, CEO of Kumho Elevator (CEO Lee Jae-bok), a company specializing in inclined elevators. "Inclined elevators are not only visually intriguing for users, but also provide convenience and safety."

The biggest feature of the inclined elevator is that it boasts the longest running length in Korea for an inclined elevator (88 meters in total). Therefore, when you board the inclined elevator, you can observe the Busan coast at a glance through the transparent glass during the one-and-a-half-minute running time. The elevator can accommodate up to 20 people (1,350 kg) at a speed of 60 m/min, and is only available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (5 p.m. in winter), which is the time for visiting Chunghon Pagoda.

Chunghontap is located opposite Jungang Park, the end of a winding 3-kilometer road from Busan Station. A steep hillside and more than 1,000 stairs separated the entrance from Chunghon Pagoda, and before the inclined elevator was installed, worshippers and tourists had to walk with difficulty.

Kumho Elevator, which has been installing inclined elevators since 2003, was most concerned about installing the inclined elevator within the scope of not harming the Chunghon Pagoda and the scenery of Central Park.

 

"As the site is Chunghon Pagoda, we put the most importance on the location and design to harmonize with the surroundings," said Jeon Myung-woon, the director of the site. "I spent three seasons here last winter, spring, and summer, and I can't forget the feeling of pride when we completed the project."

Given the area's proximity to the Busan Sea, both the elevator and elevator tracks are coated, plated, and made of waterproof materials to prevent corrosion from sea salt and wind, and the elevator is operated after sufficient testing to prevent accidents caused by snow, rain, and freezing depending on the season. In the event of a power outage, the elevator can operate with its own emergency power supply and is equipped with safety devices such as up and down speed prevention devices, emergency stop devices, and manual operation devices. About 500 people use the ride a week. The number of tourists who have heard about it has also increased.  

Kumho Elevator is the only inclined elevator specialist in Korea with more than 10 years of experience and know-how in installation and management, having introduced inclined elevators for the first time in Korea and pioneered a new market where others have not walked before. In particular, in 2004, the company applied for a patent for an inclined elevator with a lower installation height and a method and device for preventing flooding of inclined elevators, and is making continuous efforts to improve R&D and technology.

The adoption of inclined elevators is common in developed countries, especially in mountainous, seaside, and sloping terrain. It is suitable for sites where it is difficult to install vertical transportation facilities, such as rock burials that are difficult to move, said Jeon Myung-woon, head of Kumho Elevator.

Starting with the installation of an inclined elevator for the elderly at the entrance of Ewha Womans University in 2003, Kumho Elevator has installed about 15 inclined elevators so far. Since then, it has installed elevators for bicycles and passengers on Yanghwa Bridge and 'Namsan Ormi,' which became a tourist attraction in Namsan when it was launched. In particular, the inclined elevator in Namsan provides transportation convenience for children and the elderly who have difficulty accessing public transportation, as it can be used in front of the cable car boarding area. On average, 5,000 people use the elevator on weekends.

 

In addition, the two inclined elevators installed in the Buk Seoul Dream Forest project, which was rebuilt on the site of the former Dreamland, were selected for the Elevator of the Year Award in 2011 by Elevator World magazine, an American elevator magazine. In particular, the site, which was installed on the way up to the observatory of the Forest of Dreams in North Seoul, attracted great attention as the first angle-converting inclined elevator in Korea that converts the angle in the middle of the run. It is also installed at subway stations such as Buttigogae Station, Yeouinaru Station, Namtae-ryeong Station, and Sansung Station to provide convenience for subway passengers, and will be installed at Chungmuro Station and Sindorim Station in the near future.

The biggest advantage of the inclined elevator is that it does not require a separate structure, which can save about 20% of construction costs, and the structure exposes the elevator and elevator shaft, allowing for quick rescue in the event of a trapped accident. Of course, since major parts are procured from Hutter, a technology partner company in Germany, the unit price is higher than that of a regular elevator and the construction period is also longer. However, Kumho Elevator is currently exclusively producing and selling this product and believes that it will continue to grow as a high value-added business in the future.

The volume of inclined elevators that Kumho Elevator handles per year is about 2-3 units. In the future, Kumho Elevator will actively target luxury housing complexes and terrace houses, and is expecting explosive demand. 

According to the Korea Association of Machinery Industry (KAMI), exports of general machinery increased by 10% year-on-year to 28.8 billion USD in the first seven months of this year. Compared to last year's annual export growth rate (26.9%), this is a slowdown in export growth this year. However, it is considered a relatively good performance as it maintained a double-digit growth rate despite the global recession.