2.7 Trillion Invested in 'Gyeongin Arabaetgil', Will Its Function Shift from Transportation to Culture and Tourism?

Public Deliberation Committee Releases Citizen Committee Opinion Survey Results
Recommendations to Ministry of Environment by Year-End... Implementation Plan to Be Prepared Next Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] A plan to reduce the cargo ship logistics function of the Gyeongin Ara Waterway and expand its cultural and tourism functions has been found to be the most preferred option among citizens in the surrounding areas.

The Ministry of Environment and the Gyeongin Ara Waterway Public Deliberation Committee disclosed on the 22nd the results of the optimal alternative opinion survey conducted by the Citizens' Committee, which was held three times since last month to redefine the functions of the Ara Waterway.

The Citizens' Committee conducted discussions and deliberations on seven optimal alternatives prepared at a workshop in September through both face-to-face and non-face-to-face methods from the 10th of last month, and finally conducted the optimal alternative opinion survey on the 31st.

The Citizens' Committee consisted of 90 residents from nearby areas of the Ara Waterway, including Bupyeong-gu, Gyeyang-gu, and Seo-gu in Incheon City; Sinjung-dong and Ojeong-dong in Bucheon City; and Gochon-eup, Sau-dong, and Pungmu-dong in Gimpo City.

The committee members actively discussed the pros and cons of each of the seven alternatives, institutional improvement measures, and levels of economic feasibility improvement.

The most preferred candidate, Plan B, allows the cargo ship logistics function only at night, converts the Gimpo and Incheon passenger terminals into cultural and tourism facilities such as a marine environment experience center, and replaces the container wharf at the Gimpo cargo terminal with waterfront cultural spaces like accommodation facilities and museums.

Water quality will be improved from the current level of grades 4 to 5 to grade 3 through the improvement of Gulpocheon sewage, thereby enhancing the waterfront function.

The Gyeongin Ara Waterway was constructed from 2009 to 2015 during the Lee Myung-bak administration with a project cost of 2.68 trillion won. Its purpose was to reduce flood damage from Gulpocheon, improve the transportation system to reduce shipping costs, and contribute to the national economy through culture, tourism, and leisure.

However, since its opening in May 2012 until December last year, the cargo handling performance was only 5.19 million tons, which is just 8.2% of the planned 62.98 million tons. Passenger transport performance during the same period was 932,000 users, only 20.2% of the initial target of 4.617 million.

Nevertheless, flood damage from Gulpocheon, which used to occur about once every two years, has significantly decreased, showing effectiveness in flood control functions.

Heo Jae-young, chairman of the Gyeongin Ara Waterway Public Deliberation Committee, stated, "The optimal alternative derived through the citizens' deliberation process will be thoroughly reviewed by the Public Deliberation Committee and recommended to the Ministry of Environment within this year as a plan to redefine the functions of the Ara Waterway."

Kim Dong-jin, Director of the Water Resources Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Environment, said, "Following the recommendation of the Public Deliberation Committee, we plan to prepare and implement specific measures next year to enhance the sustainability of the Ara Waterway."

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