"Please Actively Support the Dalbit Inland Railroad and Military Airport Relocation"

Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop Requests Support for Current Issues from Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum

Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeollanam-do, and Kwon Young-jin, Mayor of Daegu Metropolitan City, are delivering a petition from six Yeongnam and Honam region city and provincial governors urging the inclusion of the Daegu-Gwangju Dalbit Inland Railway in the 4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan to Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, who visited Gwangju on the 18th to attend the 41st anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Movement commemoration ceremony. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] On the morning of the 18th, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, met with Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum at the 41st anniversary commemoration ceremony of the May 18 Democratic Uprising to actively request support for regional issues such as the relocation project of the Gwangju military airport and the inclusion of the Dalbit Inland Railway in the 4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan.

Before the ceremony, Mayor Lee held a meeting with Prime Minister Kim at Gwangju City Hall and requested, "Please play an active role so that the military airport relocation issue, which is a pledge of President Moon Jae-in and one of the 100 national tasks, can be resolved early in the spirit of coexistence between Gwangju and Jeonnam."

In particular, he proposed the activation of an intergovernmental consultative body led by the Minister for Government Policy Coordination to promptly decide on the preliminary candidate site for the military airport relocation.

In response, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said, "The 2nd meeting of the intergovernmental consultative body is scheduled to be held on the 21st," and promised active interest and support in the spirit of regional joint development and coexistence.

Additionally, Mayor Lee, along with Kwon Young-jin, Mayor of Daegu, and Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province, delivered a petition from six mayors and governors of Yeong and Honam regions urging Prime Minister Kim to include the Daegu-Gwangju Dalbit Inland Railway in the 4th National Railroad Network Construction Plan.

At the meeting, Mayor Lee said, "The Daegu-Gwangju Dalbit Inland Railway is a representative pledge of President Moon Jae-in for Yeong and Honam cooperation and must be included in this national plan for east-west harmony and balanced national development."

Furthermore, the six mayors and governors emphasized in the petition, "Yeong and Honam are the two major axes of the southern part of the country, leading Korea’s industrialization and democratization and driving national development. If the Dalbit Inland Railway is constructed to promote communication and cooperation between Yeong and Honam, it will be an important turning point for the nation to develop as a ‘United Korea.’"

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said, "It has always been my belief that the Dalbit Inland Railway should be constructed for east-west harmony, national unity, and balanced national development. I will work with the relevant ministries to ensure its inclusion."

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