Kim Jeong-jae: "The Change of Gangsang-myeon Was Already Decided During the Moon Jae-in Administration"

As the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) declared a cancellation amid rampant fake news related to the Yangpyeong Expressway, a National Assembly inquiry on the preferential treatment allegations regarding the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway will be held against MOLIT on the 26th. Kim Jeong-jae, a member of the People Power Party, rebutted the Democratic Party's suspicion that changing the terminus of the Yangpyeong Expressway to Gangsang-myeon was related to the president's in-law's land, stating, "The claim that it was changed to Gangsang-myeon is unrelated to the in-law's land and was already decided during the Moon Jae-in administration."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 26th, on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Rep. Kim said, "The service contract was also initiated during the Moon administration, and at that time, an alternative for Gangsang-myeon was already proposed. So, the idea that it was changed to benefit the burial land of First Lady Kim Geon-hee's family during the Moon administration is nonsense."

He added, "The preliminary feasibility study (PFS) was approved during the Moon administration. The PFS started in 2019 and was approved in April 2021. By May, the demand for Gangha IC was already made, and the Democratic Party side, including county heads and party committee chairs during the Moon administration, had already requested it," adding, "The project was ordered in January 2022 during the Moon administration. At that time, the task instructions clearly included reviewing alternatives, which is a factual matter." He explained that all these events occurred during the Moon administration.

He also emphasized that the service contract was issued during the Moon administration. Rep. Kim said, "The selection of the service company was also during the Moon administration," adding, "The company was selected, and experts reported their commencement of the service. Alternatives regarding Gangsang-myeon were already proposed at that time."

The Democratic Party claims that the service contract was issued during President Yoon Seok-yeol's transition team period. Rep. Kim said, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is the competent authority for constructing the expressway," adding, "Where would the MOLIT officials from the Moon administration be, and where would those from the Yoon administration be? But since they keep saying it suddenly changed after the Yoon administration came in, the term 'Moon administration' inevitably comes up."

He said, "During the Moon administration, the feasibility study usually starts, and a commencement report outlining the direction is submitted. How could the service companies suddenly change everything right after the transition team took over, or even before that?" adding, "These details include environmental issues and specific matters, so they cannot be hidden even if one tries. Leading this into a political dispute is nonsense."

Rep. Kim stated that during the MOLIT inquiry on the day, the Democratic Party would likely focus on the 'in-law's land' issue, but he intends to concentrate on clarifying the facts. He said, "Regardless of the in-law's land, I plan to accurately explain, based solely on facts, how this alternative route and the PFS were created, what the residents' opinions are, and what the experts' opinions are."

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