The Yanase, a 2,000-ton cargo ship, passes along the Seoul-Incheon Canal in the port city of Incheon, west of Seoul, on Dec. 4, 2011, en route to a terminal in the city of Gimpo, also west of Seoul, after sailing from South Korea's largest island of Jeju. The 18-kilometer-long canal, dubbed the "Ara Waterway," connects the Han River, flowing through central Seoul, and the Yellow Sea, enabling seagoing ships to enter Seoul. The state-run Water Resources Corp., the operator of the waterway, plans to put more freighters into operation on a pilot basis before the waterway is fully opened in May 2012. (Yonhap)
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