Geochang-gun and 6 Yeonghonam Cities and Provinces Joint Appeal for Dalbit Inland Railroad Construction Announcement

Six Governors from Yeonghonam Gathered in Geochang-gun!

Appeal to the President for the Construction of the Dalbit Inland Railroad
Photo by Geochang-gun

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Sun-gyeong] Geochang-gun, Gyeongnam Province, announced on the 28th that six provincial governors from Daegu, Gwangju, and other cities gathered at the Geochang-gun Office rotary to jointly appeal to the President to include the Dalbit Inland Railway as a new project after it was excluded from the ‘4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan (2021?2030)’ announced on the 22nd, putting the project at risk of cancellation.

The joint appeal announcement was attended by Geochang County Governor Gu In-mo, Daegu Metropolitan Mayor Kwon Young-jin, Gwangju Metropolitan Mayor Lee Yong-seop, Gyeongsangnam-do Governor Kim Kyung-soo, Gyeongsangbuk-do Governor Lee Cheol-woo, Jeollabuk-do Governor Song Ha-jin, and Jeollanam-do Deputy Governor Song Sang-rak.

The event proceeded with introductions of the attendees, a greeting from Governor Gu, a reading of the appeal letter to include the Dalbit Inland Railway construction, a performance where paper airplanes symbolizing the six provinces in six colors representing the hope to “dream of soaring” were energetically flown, followed by a commemorative photo session.

This event held in Geochang-gun, the central area of the Dalbit Inland Railway connecting Daegu and Gwangju, holds special significance. However, following the recent exclusion of the Southern Inland Railway, there is a strong sentiment that the Dalbit Inland Railway should not be neglected, as it affects 70,000 residents of Geochang-gun and 500,000 people from the hometown community.

In his greeting, Governor Gu said, “This is the first time in the county’s history that six provincial governors have visited Geochang at once,” and emphasized, “Although the county is the educational and administrative center of northwestern Gyeongnam, it has become a transportation-disadvantaged area as national transportation facilities bypass it. We understand the importance of railroads more than anyone else, and according to the will of the Yeongnam and Honam people, it must be reflected in the 4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan.”

In the joint appeal, the provincial governors expressed, “We deeply respect and thank President Moon Jae-in, who has made extraordinary efforts for national balanced development and East-West harmony,” but also voiced concern, saying, “The exclusion of the Dalbit Inland Railway project, a presidential pledge, from the 4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan draft has caused indescribable shock and disappointment among the Yeongnam and Honam provinces.”

They particularly noted, “This project is not simply a railway connecting Daegu and Gwangju, but passes through six metropolitan local governments including Gyeongnam (Hamyang, Geochang, Hapcheon), Jeonnam (Damyang), Jeonbuk (Sunchang, Namwon, Jangsu), and Gyeongbuk (Goryeong), with a related resident population reaching 9.7 million,” and concluded, “We earnestly appeal to the President to include the Dalbit Inland Railway, an East-West integrated railway project, in the national plan.”

The National Railroad Network Construction Plan is the highest-level legal railroad plan established every ten years. The excluded Dalbit Inland Railway project is a high-speed railroad construction project costing 4.085 trillion won, connecting Daegu, Geochang, and Gwangju over a 203.7 km section within about one hour.

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