Heated Debate Over Cancellation of Yangpyeong Expressway... Opposition: "Blaming Others Again?" Ruling Party: "It Had to Be..."

The Democratic Party of Korea warned regarding the controversy over the cancellation of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway, stating, "Minister Won Hee-ryong (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) and the government and ruling party should immediately stop their shameless 'victim cosplay'." The People Power Party countered that the route plan had been changed by the Democratic Party two years ago and argued that the project was canceled due to the Democratic Party's political strife.

On the 9th, Kwon Chil-seung, the chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, said in a briefing at the National Assembly, "Not only was the 15-year-long wish of the residents of Yangpyeong County changed in just eight days, but it also became a pipe dream in just one day," adding, "The sudden route change favoring the Kim Geon-hee line and the absurd declaration of a complete cancellation were all decisions made by Minister Won."

He claimed, "Changing a large-scale national project worth 1.8 trillion won 'at will,' and then resorting to a complete cancellation as a trick to avoid public suspicion is a serious symptom of government dysfunction." He continued, "Even if they create all kinds of fake news to evade responsibility and try to cover up for the family of First Lady Kim Geon-hee, the public's suspicion about the sudden route change will not disappear."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Spokesperson Kwon said, "Will the Yoon Seok-yeol administration just blame others for this incident as well?" and added, "I am appalled by the incompetent government that consistently conducts a shoddy and chaotic administration." He further urged Minister Won, "You must transparently reveal the truth not only about the route change but also about the cancellation process," and said, "As the person responsible for overturning this 'national project,' you should apologize to the public and resign."

On the other hand, the People Power Party responded with a retort, saying that the Democratic Party was being audacious.

Kang Min-guk, chief spokesperson of the People Power Party, said, "The Democratic Party used the long-cherished project of Yangpyeong residents as a tool for political strife. Due to the spread of rumors about special favors, the hopes of Yangpyeong residents have been dashed," and countered, "If the Democratic Party had not stirred up so much trouble, would Minister Won have said he would cancel Yangpyeong County's long-cherished project?"

Spokesperson Kang pointed out, "Two years ago, the Democratic Party also demanded the same route, and it became a ridiculous situation when it was revealed that former Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum owned land near the interchange of that route." He argued, "The Democratic Party now subtly changes its story, saying that at the time, the Democratic Party's local chairman and the former county head only requested adding an IC (interchange) to the original plan reflecting the local sentiment of Yangpyeong, not a change in the terminus. However, the truth is that since the Democratic Party government two years ago, Yangpyeong residents have been requesting the installation of an IC rather than a junction and route modifications, and the Democratic Party's local chairman and former county head agreed to the revised plan."

He also rebutted, "The existing route did not have an IC that allowed entry and exit to the expressway, so although it was called the Yangpyeong Expressway, residents could not easily use it. Therefore, the Yangpyeong County Office reviewed multiple proposals for installing an IC in Gangha-myeon, and among the three proposals presented by the county office, there was even a route closer to the land owned by the family of First Lady Kim Geon-hee," adding, "Logically, if they really intended to grant special favors, wouldn't they have chosen that route?"

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