Gyeonggi-do and 3 Cities Urge Ilsan Bridge Co. to Actively Engage in Toll-Free Negotiations

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has pressured Ilsan Bridge Co., Ltd. to actively engage in negotiations for the toll-free use of Ilsan Bridge. This follows a recent ruling by the Suwon District Court that the injunction against collecting tolls on Ilsan Bridge constitutes an infringement of property rights.

As a result of this court ruling, from midnight on the 18th, the toll on Ilsan Bridge will change from free to paid.

On the 17th, Gyeonggi Province announced that Lee Han-gyu, Deputy Governor for Administration, along with Lee Jae-jun, Mayor of Goyang, Jeong Ha-young, Mayor of Gimpo, and Choi Jong-hwan, Mayor of Paju, visited the office of Ilsan Bridge Co., Ltd. to deliver an official letter titled "Request for Negotiation on Toll-Free Use and Compensation for Losses of Ilsan Bridge."

Through the letter, the province and the three cities and counties stated, "We plan to prepay a portion of the rightful compensation to ensure that Ilsan Bridge Co., Ltd. does not incur any losses," and requested, "Please actively engage in negotiations so that the public can continue to use Ilsan Bridge toll-free."

To this end, the province has preliminarily allocated a budget of 6 billion KRW, which can be executed within this year, as compensation to prevent any losses to Ilsan Bridge Co., Ltd. due to toll-free use.

In particular, the attendees met with Kim Eung-hwan, CEO of Ilsan Bridge Co., Ltd., to convey the justification for toll-free use of Ilsan Bridge and their intention to provide rightful compensation for losses. They also urged a proactive change in attitude to guarantee the basic transportation rights of residents and to prevent confusion among users.

At the Ilsan Bridge site that day, representatives of civic groups from the three northwestern cities also joined, holding placards demanding the swift progress of the toll-free lawsuit and conveying the voices of citizens calling for the permanent toll-free status of Ilsan Bridge.

Lee Han-gyu, Deputy Governor for Administration of the province, stated, "Ilsan Bridge Co., Ltd. should no longer ignore the voices of residents in the northwest region who have endured sacrifices due to high tolls and must come to the negotiation table. The province will continue to exert maximum administrative efforts to achieve the permanent toll-free status of Ilsan Bridge."

The province and the three northwestern cities have built a cooperative system for toll-free use of Ilsan Bridge, starting with a joint statement released in February this year, and expressed strong determination for toll-free status through two public disposition actions on the 27th of last month and the 3rd of this month.

Meanwhile, toll collection on Ilsan Bridge will resume from midnight (0:00 AM) on the 18th.

The province plans to inform users through various media such as traffic variable message signs (VMS), media publicity, and its website regarding related matters, and will pursue mid- to long-term countermeasures including cooperation with related agencies and amendments to the Private Investment Act until the main court ruling is made.

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