Taebaek failing as an altitude training centre

Korea is a country very dedicated to sports but sometimes style overtakes substance. I can see the value of altitude training but how much thinking does it take to recognise that Korea has no mountains suitable for it?

My style over substance comment comes particularly from hearing that swim teams members are using altitude training.

From the Joongang:

In April, 20 members of the national swimming team
stayed in Kunming, China, which is 1,880 meters (6,167 feet) above sea level,
for three weeks. "Three of those who trained in Kunming produced Korean records
in May. They plan to return to Kunming this fall," said Jeong Bu-jin, an
employee of the Korea Swimming Federation.

This is another subject area that I flatter myself as being knowledgable about. Korean swimmers don't need altitude training, they need consistent training independent of gimmicks. From what I have seen, they need technique training that emphasizes shallow body position and more training on turns.

That's a little more technical than I meant to be in a post about altitude training.

Anyway, the location may well find uses for athletes for whom the altitude is only a fringe benefit. I think Taebaek is remote enough that it would be a good training centre for any sport.