However, negative views of the tunnel's profitability emerged the same year.[28] Japanese Studies Professor Shin Jang-churl, of Seoul's Soongsil University, stated that the countries' political proposals were "....nothing but [empty] diplomatic rhetoric."[28] Key issues for the tunnel would be its enormous construction cost combined with possible low profitability, similar to the Eurotunnel's financial situation since it opened in 1994.[28]