Discussion Held on New Line Plan for Gwangsan-gu on Gwangju Subway Line 2

Attorney Park Gyuntaek Hosts Policy Debate

A debate was held on the realization plan for the newly proposed Line 2 subway route in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, amid calls for the establishment of the new subway line.

The debate, hosted by attorney Park Gyuntaek on the afternoon of the 4th, was held with residents of Wolgok 1 and 2-dong to discuss the realization plan for the new section of Line 2, Phase 4, and ways to improve the living environment in the Wolgok area.

Starting with Attorney Park’s presentation, designated discussants included Jang Seongsu, former head of Gwangju Urban Railroad Construction Headquarters; Seong Jaesu, president of Good Neighborhood Making; architect Park Hwanyeong; and Kim Sinhui, public relations director of the Gwangsan-gu Autonomous Crime Prevention Union. About 90 citizens participated and exchanged opinions.

Jang Seongsu, former head of Gwangju Urban Railroad Construction Headquarters, said, “If Line 2 is completed according to the existing route, passengers using Songjeong Station will have to transfer at Sangmu Station, which is expected to cause many complaints from users.” He added, “The entrance road to the Eodeungsan Tourist Complex, scheduled to open in 2030, already experiences severe traffic congestion during rush hours. If it opens without countermeasures, a traffic crisis may make normal operations impossible.”

He also explained, “By increasing national government funding for general projects in Gwangju and using the saved city budget as the subway construction self-funding portion (3 billion KRW out of the total 6 billion KRW), and by utilizing precedents of debt relief for subways in other metropolitan cities, Gwangju’s financial burden can be reduced.”

Attorney Park said, “Including Songjeong Station, the gateway to Gwangju, and the high-traffic areas of Seonun, Sochon District, Usan-dong, and Wolgok-dong in the Gwangju Subway Line 2 route should have been a given during the initial discussions on the new Line 2.” He emphasized, “To correct the problems caused by not doing what should have been done, residents of Gwangsan-gu must unite to ensure that the new Line 2 Phase 4 section is included as a pledge in the next presidential election.”

He added, “Exploring ways to expand national government funding can also reduce Gwangju’s financial burden.”

There was also a variety of opinion exchanges on ways to improve the living environment in Wolgok-dong, which suffers from severe parking shortages and security concerns.

Seong Jaesu, president of Good Neighborhood Making, said, “To alleviate parking shortages in Wolgok-dong, options include constructing parking lots underground at Sanjeong Park or nearby middle school playgrounds, or covering Sanjeongcheon Stream to create surface parking lots.”

Architect Park Hwanyeong stated, “To secure parking spaces truly needed by the local commercial district, the district office could purchase neglected or uninhabited land near the commercial area to build public parking lots or parking towers.”

Kim Sinhui, public relations director of the Gwangsan-gu Autonomous Crime Prevention Union, said, “Although the autonomous crime prevention unit conducts night patrols three times a week, there are many limitations.” He added, “Establishing a cooperative system with the foreign crime prevention unit, adding a post for the Wolgok 2-dong autonomous crime prevention unit, strengthening budget support, and extending the Safe Security Guard system (Gwangju City) should be considered.”

There were also various proposals from audience discussants related to improving the living environment in the Wolgok area.

Lee Mongryong, president of the Sanjeong Merchants Association, said, “Commercial districts designated as alley-type shopping streets, like the Sanjeong Merchants Association, can receive national government funding for public parking lot construction.” He emphasized the need for efforts to designate the Wolgok commercial district as an alley-type shopping street.

Attorney Park Gyuntaek will hold policy proposal and debate meetings on Gwangsan development plans every Saturday at 2 p.m. until December, touring the region. On the 11th, a meeting will be held at the Samdo Nonghyup conference room in Samdo-dong to discuss “Plans for Creating Dedicated Residential Complexes to Complete the Gwangju-type Jobs” and “Improvement Measures for Redevelopment Conditions in Natural Villages within Development Restriction Zones.”

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