Candidate Kim Byeong-won "Promoting Adoption of Gwangju-Naju Metropolitan Urban Railway Network as a National Policy Task"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Kim Byeong-won, the Democratic Party of Korea's preliminary candidate for the National Assembly representing Jeonnam Naju·Hwasun, stated on the 2nd, "Smooth human and material exchanges with Gwangju are the cornerstone for accelerating Naju's development," adding, "We will establish a metropolitan urban railway transportation network between Gwangju and Naju in connection with the Gwangju Urban Railway Line 2, scheduled for completion in 2025, and adopt this as a national agenda for the next presidential election to develop Naju into the central city of Honam."

Preliminary candidate Kim Byeong-won emphasized, "To increase the public transportation share and actively respond to climate change, we have decided to promote the plan to connect the Yeongsanpo-Jeonnam Provincial Office-Mokpo section through adoption as a national agenda," and added, "Furthermore, we will simultaneously include the already announced urban railway connection between Gwangju and Hwasun as a national agenda to achieve substantial regional development."

He continued, "The establishment of the metropolitan urban railway transportation network will resolve the factors causing population outflow from Naju and Hwasun, attract tourists, and lead to the inflow of external populations into the region, thereby ensuring psychological integration between Gwangju and Jeonnam and serving as a strong lifeline driving the joint development of Gwangju and Jeonnam."

He also stated, "We will devote all efforts at the National Assembly level to ensure that this project is reflected in the government's 4th Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Implementation Plan (2021?2025), scheduled for December," and added, "We plan to actively respond by conducting a thorough feasibility study, forming a pan-citizen promotion committee, and operating a working council for the establishment of the metropolitan urban railway transportation network, including Naju City, Gwangju Metropolitan City, and Jeollanam-do."

Meanwhile, the metropolitan urban railway network between Gwangju and Naju was originally designed as a one-way line connecting Gwangju Hyochon Station, the terminus of Gwangju Urban Railway Line 2, to Nampyeong?Naju Innovation City?Naju Station. However, plans are underway to expand this into a circular transportation network linking the former Yeongsanpo Station?Noan?Gwangju Pyeongdong Station.

Once the Naju?Gwangju section is established, it is expected that the three regions' three-dimensional transportation network, along with the already reviewed metropolitan urban railway transportation network construction project between Gwangju and Hwasun, will generate explosive synergy effects.

The Gwangju?Naju project, identified as one of the long-awaited projects by Naju citizens, underwent a government feasibility study in 2010, similar to the Gwangju?Hwasun urban railway network, but was ultimately excluded from the 3rd Metropolitan Area Wide-area Transportation Facilities Implementation Plan (2017?2020).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.