Won Hee-ryong: "Yangpyeong Expressway to be Promoted for Residents' Benefit... Political Strife Must Stop"

'Project Urged' Signed Petition by Over 60,000 Yangpyeong Residents Received
"If Political Strife Stops, Project Will Get Back on Track"

On the 30th, Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated regarding the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway project, "We will strive to proceed normally with the route desired by the residents."

On the morning of the 30th, Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, received a petition with signatures from residents requesting the resumption of the highway project from representatives of the Yangpyeong County Pan-Citizen Countermeasures Committee who visited the National Assembly, and gave a greeting. / Photo by Yonhap News

Residents of Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, submitted a petition signed by over 60,000 county residents urging the resumption of the project to the Chairman of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, the Policy Chairs of the People Power Party and the Democratic Party, and the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

This petition drive was organized by the Yangpyeong County Pan-County Countermeasures Committee, established on the 10th of last month, with 61,042 signatures collected, representing about half of the total 125,000 residents of the county.

In their petition, they demanded that the ruling and opposition parties cease political strife and promptly resume the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway project, which includes the Gangha Interchange (IC) that the residents of Yangpyeong long for. They also forwarded a petition containing opposition opinions from the Yangseo-myeon East District Village Chiefs Association (including Cheonggye, Guksu, Jungdong, Daesim, Sinwon-ri, etc.) regarding the preliminary feasibility study plan terminating at Yangseo-myeon to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Minister Won, upon receiving the petition, said, "Political groups unrelated to the expressway are forcibly creating suspicions and political strife, which must be immediately stopped. We will decide on the most beneficial route desired by residents and experts and strive to proceed normally as soon as possible."

He also stated on his Facebook, "I will work to promote the route that residents want and that is most beneficial. The signatures of over 60,000 county residents will be a great strength. I will cherish that intention."

He added, "We must not give special favors to anyone, but it is also unacceptable to prevent the project on the grounds of nonexistent special favors," and "I hope that today's standing committee meeting can be an opportunity to end political strife. If the strife stops, we will put the project back on track even today."

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