The opening ceremony for the Korea Train Express or KTX was held at 10 AM on March 30th, 2004 at Seoul Station Plaza. With the opening of the 1st stage of the Gyeongbu High Speed Railway Line, Korea became the 5th country in the world following Japan, France Germany and Spain to have a high speed rail system. Korea's high speed trains could travel up to 300 kilometers per hour and 83 meters per second. It took 2 hours and 40 minutes from Seoul to Busan and 2 hours and 58 minutes from Seoul to Mokpo, decreasing the travel time by one-and-a-half hours and one-hours and 40 minutes respectively. This feat allowed traveling across the nation possible within half a day. With the revolution of speed, Korea's railroad hopes to learn from the pain of separation and dreams of one day standing at the center of Northeast Asia's distribution network that will extend all the way to Siberia.