Nat'l Land Committee 'Yangpyeong-do' Controversy... Opposition: "Did Yoon Confirm?" vs Won Hee-ryong: "Driving Special Privileges"

Afternoon of the 30th, National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee Full Meeting

On the 30th, a heated debate took place between lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea and Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Won Hee-ryong over allegations of preferential treatment involving President Yoon Seok-yeol's in-laws related to the change of the terminus of the 'Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway'.

At the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee plenary session held that day, opposition party lawmakers questioned whether the facts had been accurately verified after dismissing the 'Kim Geon-hee First Lady preferential treatment allegations' as 'rumor-mongering'. Minister Won retorted, "I have grasped the facts to the extent necessary as a minister." He targeted the opposition, saying, "Rather than framing it as preferential treatment, we will narrow down the route by collecting opinions from Yangpyeong residents."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Opposition lawmakers fired questions at Minister Won regarding the change of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway terminus from the original 'Yangseo-myeon' to 'Gangsaeng-myeon'. The Yangpyeong Expressway project began in 2008 and was included in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's highway construction plan in 2017. In the revised plan this May, the terminus was changed to Gangsaeng-myeon, Yangpyeong County, where President Yoon's wife, First Lady Kim Geon-hee's family burial grounds and lands are located, sparking allegations of preferential treatment.

Democratic Party lawmaker Lee So-young asked, "Regarding the Yangpyeong Expressway (preferential treatment allegations), you said you would scrap the project because the opposition is spreading rumors. If you are calling it a rumor and are willing to cancel a 1.8 trillion won project, have you thoroughly investigated the facts internally?"

When Minister Won replied, "I have grasped the facts to the extent necessary as a minister," Lee asked, "Have you ever confirmed with First Lady Kim Geon-hee, who is the subject of the allegations? Have you asked President Yoon?"

Minister Won answered, "No," and Lee said, "When was the plan focusing on Gangsaeng-myeon proposed? You were the first to officially bring up making Gangsaeng-myeon the terminus." Minister Won responded, "The plan to make Gangsaeng-myeon the terminus and include the Ganghwa IC appeared as early as 2008 and 2009 in Daewoo Construction's plans," but Lee corrected him, saying, "It was 2018." She then criticized, "The issue is whether it is right or wrong for the terminus to be Gangsaeng-myeon and why it was changed. Have you not investigated the history and yet claim to have sufficiently reviewed it?"

Lee also explained, "Kim Seon-gyo, the county governor who has a very special relationship with the President's in-laws, announced a private expressway construction pledge in the 2010 local elections. Since this was not something a county governor could do alone, he even proposed it to Kim Moon-soo, the Gyeonggi Province governor candidate at the time. Some of the President's in-laws' land around the Gangsaeng-myeon terminus was purchased under the names of Kim Geon-hee's brother and ES&D, where Kim was a registered director." She added, "Kim Seon-gyo and Kim Moon-soo were elected in June 2010, and land purchases began in September." She questioned, "As the minister said, the land is of little value and not well developed, so why was it bought in 2010? If you are calling the opposition's claims rumor-mongering, shouldn't you ask why it was purchased?"

Minister Won replied, "Doesn't the Democratic Party governor also have land there? How can we investigate every land purchase in detail?"

Minister Won said, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport reviewed five plans. Currently, it has been narrowed down to two plans, and strategic environmental impact assessments and feasibility studies are underway," adding, "Deciding the route based on a specific individual is putting the cart before the horse." He continued, "I believe the vast majority of Yangpyeong residents and the national benefits of this road's future users should be prioritized. Rather than forcing baseless preferential treatment allegations, if we proceed with expert verification and gather as many opinions from Yangpyeong residents as possible to narrow down the route, I believe it will be a route we can be proud to leave to future generations."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Justice Party lawmaker Shim Sang-jung said, "To resolve this issue, those who started it must take responsibility," and criticized, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport changed the final route, and Minister Won canceled the project. The land involved belongs to First Lady Kim Geon-hee's family, who has a conflict of interest. Yet, they neither take responsibility nor stop the political strife, which is exactly the political strife itself." Shim emphasized, "The core of the Yangpyeong Expressway controversy is why the Gangsaeng-myeon plan was changed to the final route," adding, "The evidence is simple: it is the economic feasibility analysis."

In response to the ongoing opposition's offensive on the Yangpyeong Expressway preferential treatment allegations, lawmakers from the People Power Party focused on defense. People Power Party lawmaker Kim Jeong-jae said, "If it was decided from the start which way it would go by orders from above, why would they have reviewed five routes?" He added, "The Democratic Party also proposed another route passing through Sucheong IC. Let's include that too. Let's verify all plans transparently." Kim said, "If you don't trust it, then the Democratic Party should recommend experts to form a route verification committee and resume the project quickly."

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