Adoption of Resolution to Protect Domestic Railway Industry and Promote High-Speed Rail Overseas Market Entry

Changwon Chamber of Commerce, Gyeongsangnam-do, Changwon City, Local National Assembly Members, Gyeongnam Employers Federation Jointly

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Song Jong-gu] The Changwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Gyeongnam, together with Gyeongsangnam-do, Changwon City, National Assembly members Kim Young-seon, Yoon Han-hong, Kang Ki-yoon, Lee Dal-gon, Choi Hyung-doo, Seo Il-jun, and the Gyeongnam Employers Federation, adopted a resolution reflecting the region's urgent desire for the establishment of a comprehensive government-wide plan to protect the domestic railway industry in the mid-to-long term and to advance high-speed rail into overseas markets.

The resolution was delivered to the Blue House, Board of Audit and Inspection, Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The institutions, organizations, and National Assembly members who participated in adopting the resolution expressed “great concern over the relaxation of the qualification requirements for bidding in the project to order distributed power high-speed trains to be deployed on the Pyeongtaek-Osong line, scheduled to open in 2027 by Korea Railroad Corporation.” They emphasized, “Relaxing the bidding qualification conditions for overseas companies before domestically developed distributed power high-speed trains, created purely with domestic technology, even run on the domestic railway network is considered a measure that shows no intention to protect the domestic industry. This policy contrasts with countries possessing high-speed rail technology overseas, including Europe, which effectively block overseas companies' bids through technical barriers.”

They continued, “Railway vehicles must prioritize the safety and protection of the lives of the people. In reality, Korean railway vehicle companies undergo verification processes based on the Railway Safety Act with significant time and cost, but orders are being won by overseas companies whose technology is reportedly unverified and who lack manufacturing experience.” They added, “This not only undermines the stability and reliability of Korea’s railway transportation but also raises concerns about the leakage of domestic high-speed rail vehicle manufacturing technology accumulated over decades in the mid-to-long term.”

They agreed that for the railway industry, a specialized industry in the Gyeongnam region and a key national industry, to form an ecosystem and grow, not only private sector efforts but also government policy consideration providing railway infrastructure is essential.

Based on this, the adopted resolution includes the region’s aspirations for ▲designating railway vehicle technology as a national core technology ▲establishing institutional measures including improvements to the bidding system ▲creating a joint government-private support system for overseas expansion.

A representative of the Changwon Chamber of Commerce and Industry stated, “The companies that have participated in the development of distributed power high-speed trains have been able to continue investing from technology development to production and performance and safety verification processes because they were confident that the technology would be introduced into the domestic railway network and showcased worldwide.” He added, “To ensure the independence of domestic high-speed rail, it is essential to protect domestic railway technology and markets so that completed vehicle and parts companies, who have worked hard with pride, can continue to develop technology.”

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