"Special Act on Moonlight Railroad Must Pass Quickly," Joint Statement by Gwangju and Daegu City Councils

The Gwangju Metropolitan Council and the Daegu Metropolitan Council have joined hands to expedite the passage of the Dalbit Railroad Special Act, a long-cherished project for the 17 million residents of the Yeongnam and Honam regions.

On the afternoon of the 24th, members of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council (Chairman Jeong Muchang) and the Daegu Metropolitan Council (Chairman Lee Mankyu) issued a joint statement at the Daegu Metropolitan Council urging the prompt enactment of the "Dalbit Railroad Special Act."

They stated, "The Dalbit Railroad Special Act was proposed by a record number of 261 members of the National Assembly in response to the national aspiration," adding, "Once constructed, the Dalbit Railroad will foster regional harmony and connect Gwangju and Daegu from east to west, overcoming the national challenge of local extinction."

They continued, "By adding a horizontal east-west railway network to the existing vertical railway network centered on the metropolitan area, balanced national development can be achieved."

Furthermore, they criticized, "The Ministry of Economy and Finance has thoroughly ignored the voices of the regions, citing economic feasibility and the preliminary feasibility study system, and the National Assembly has left the bill unattended without even submitting it to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee," calling this "an anachronistic act that completely disregards the expectations of the people and will face the judgment of history."

Jeong Muchang, Chairman of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council, said, "The Dalbit Railroad is a starting point for finding new hope for the Republic of Korea and will be the cornerstone of Yeongnam-Honam harmony, balanced national development, and national unity," urging, "The National Assembly must no longer ignore the aspirations and passionate voices of the Yeongnam and Honam people and must enact the Dalbit Railroad Special Act without fail."

Meanwhile, the Dalbit Railroad Special Act was jointly proposed by 261 ruling and opposition members of the National Assembly on August 22 of last year to promote balanced national development, east-west harmony, and to overcome the crisis of local extinction. Currently, the Ministry of Economy and Finance opposes this law, which includes grounds for exemption from the preliminary feasibility study, labeling it as a "preliminary feasibility study nullification law."

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