Kim Dong-yeon "The Seoul~Yangpyeong Expressway Route Change, Who, Why, and For What Purpose Must Be Revealed"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is making a statement regarding the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway project at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government briefing room on the 3rd.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon argued that the core issue of the Seoul~Yangpyeong Expressway controversy is who, why, and for what purpose the route was changed toward land owned by a 'specific person' (the family of First Lady Kim Keon-hee), and that suspicions regarding this must be clarified.

He also urged that the most realistic solution is to immediately proceed with the original plan, which is free from unnecessary disputes causing national division and suspicion, aligns with the initial goal of alleviating traffic congestion in the metropolitan area, and can be promptly implemented.

In a statement on the Seoul~Yangpyeong Expressway project on the 3rd, Governor Kim Dong-yeon emphasized, "The essence of the Seoul~Yangpyeong Expressway controversy is why the route was changed toward land owned by a specific person," adding, "Only by resolving suspicions about the route change can the ongoing disputes and national division be ended."

He particularly criticized, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's original plan, which had passed the preliminary feasibility study, was suddenly changed, and if there is land owned by a specific person near the terminus of the changed route, it is natural to raise suspicions about the change process. It is the public responsibility of the opposition party and the media to investigate these suspicions. However, the Ministry of Land is condemning such reasonable doubts as fake news and rumors."

Governor Kim then pointed out the suspicions regarding the route change in detail.

He first stated, "According to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance's total project cost management guidelines, any route change exceeding one-third of the route since 2012 must be consulted with the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. However, the Ministry of Land finalized the changed Seoul~Yangpyeong Expressway plan, which is the first case of a route change exceeding one-third, without consulting the Ministry of Strategy and Finance," directly criticizing the ministry.

He also said, "Based on my 35 years of public service, feasibility study service contracts aim to conduct more precise verification based on the Ministry of Strategy and Finance's preliminary feasibility study. Even if the service provider suggests a better alternative, it is common sense to present alternatives at the final or at least the interim report. However, the Ministry of Land's claim that the service provider proposed an alternative changed by 55% from the preliminary feasibility study plan, which was reviewed and finalized over two years, in the project initiation report before the service officially started is unreasonable and hard to accept," sharply criticizing the ministry.

Furthermore, he asserted, "The route change plan currently claimed by the Ministry of Land did not follow proper procedures and lacks reasonable grounds. During the first inter-agency consultation in July 2022, Gyeonggi Province was excluded despite being an essential consultation subject because the alternative routes pass through or interfere with Gyeonggi-managed urban rail and roads. Even though Hanam City raised concerns about this, they were again ignored."

Governor Kim Dong-yeon also directly refuted the Ministry of Land's previous claims regarding the changed plan.

He said, "The Ministry of Land argued that the original route's disadvantage was that it passed through many country houses and pensions, raising concerns about complaints. However, according to disclosed data, the opposite is true. The original route passes through four villages with 1,744 households and 3,751 residents, whereas the alternative route passes through ten villages with 8,570 households and 18,130 residents, which is five times more than the original. Therefore, the alternative route raises more concerns about complaints," directly criticizing the ministry.

Finally, Governor Kim stated, "The most realistic alternative to the Seoul~Yangpyeong Expressway controversy is to immediately proceed with the original plan, which is free from unnecessary disputes causing national division and suspicion, aligns with the initial plan to alleviate metropolitan traffic congestion, and can be promptly implemented. If the Seoul~Yangpyeong Expressway proceeds as originally planned, Gyeonggi Province will take the lead in actively promoting the project to connect it with the Seoul~Yangyang Expressway," he proposed.

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