The train was designed and made only with domestic technology, and ran at speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour.

The Korean Rail Road Research Institute and the train maker Rotem on Wednesday completed the trial of the G7 high-speed train, called the "next generation Korean-style high-speed train." The route was from Chonan to Daejon, and onboard were industry and academic figures and public officials. The train was composed of seven cars, four locomotives and three passenger cars.

By contrast, the high-speed rail service between Seoul and Busan, which will start in April, trains produced with technology transferred from the French train maker Alstom will be used, called KTX (Korean Train Express) trains.

But for the high-speed rail services opening later, the G7 trains will be used. These G7 trains, faster than the KTX trains, should be commercialized by 2007. The G7 trains will be used for service between Seoul and Jeolla province, which is expected to have fewer passengers during weekdays because the number of cars can be variously adjusted depending on the number of passengers. The number of the KTX cars is fixed at 20, regardless of the number of passengers.

12:10 p.m. Wednesday: The high-speed train departs from Osong, North Chungcheong province. With a bright gray exterior and red top, it looks sleek.

Even at the speed of 100 kilometers per hour, there is hardly any noise or vibration. Two or three minutes later, the speed is at 150 kph, and the train glides along as if floating on placid water. At 250 kph, there is a slight movement from side to side and a faint engine noise.

Then it's 280, 290, 295, 299 kph. Fifty or so passengers - including technicians from the Korean Railroad Research Institute and Rotem and officials from the Ministry of Transportation and the Korean National Railroad - watch the odometer as it climbs to 300 kph. At that moment, Korea became the fifth country in the world to achieve the feat with its own technology, following France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Ten minutes after departing from Osong, we passed Cheoan Asan. People in the car clapped and cheered.

Song Dal-ho, chief director at the research center, said, "The designed speed is 385 kilometers per hour but the actual speed will be about 350 due to the weight of the passengers. Next year, we will easily pass our final goal of 350 kilometers per hour." The test train, composed of seven cars, is powerful and lightweight and can run up to 440 km per hour, theoretically.

A slight noise and vibration could be felt at 300 kph per hour. However, the same sensation was felt with the KTX trains, with technology transferred from Alstom. The only thing surprising was the deafening sensation in the ears, somewhat like that when climbing in an airplane. "That is because the doors are not completely sealed - this is a little difficult to do with domestic techniques," said Song Jin, director of the central research lab at Rotem. However, all these factors will be improved by 2007, when the train is expected to be commercialized. By that time, KTX will be an "old model," and a true Korean high-speed railroad will take its place as the "new model."

Thursday marks the 104th anniversary of the first Korean railroad. We have made a high-speed train with our very own hands. The conventional trains such as the Saemaeul were designed by copying bits of foreign models.