Kang Jin-won, Gangjin County Governor, Visits Major Construction Sites of Long-Standing Projects for Residents

Smooth Progress in Major SOC Driving Regional Development... Expectation for the Rebirth of the 'Dong Suncheon Seogangjin Era'

Transportation Map Changes Including Gangjin Station and Gangjin~Gwangju Expressway

Gangjin-gun, Jeollanam-do, is smoothly advancing large-scale SOC projects such as railroads and highways, which will serve as a groundbreaking turning point for regional development. As a potential powerhouse in the western part of Jeollanam-do, there is growing anticipation that the long-awaited "East Suncheon-West Gangjin era" may be dawning once again.

According to the county on the 1st, Gangjin County Governor Kang Jin-won visited the construction site of the long-awaited Kkachinaejae Tunnel project on the 31st of last month, followed by a visit to the "Gangjin Station," scheduled to open in 2025, where he inspected the site and encouraged the officials.

At the event, Governor Kang said, "Accessibility, which has been an obstacle to Gangjin's development until now, will be dramatically improved with the completion of the Namhae Coast Railroad and the opening of the Gangjin-Gwangju highway," adding, "The long-cherished wish to increase the population by attracting 5 million tourists is not far from realization."

(On the right) Gang Jin-won, the county governor, visited Gangjin Station on the 31st of last month to conduct an inspection. [Photo by Gangjin County]

Gangjin Station, where the railroad era is opening after 130 years since the introduction of the steam locomotive that brought a major transformation in Korea's transportation, has been under construction since 2022 with a project cost of approximately 1.63 trillion KRW, and is currently in the final stages of construction.

This section is part of the Gyeongjeon Line connecting the entire Namhae Coast area, a single-track railway stretching 82.5 km from Boseong-gun, Jangheung, Gangjin, and Yeongam in Jeollanam-do to Imseong-ri, Mokpo. The Gangjin section alone spans 12.8 km.

The subgrade, track work, and building construction are expected to be completed in 2024, followed by comprehensive testing of all facilities including train test runs, with the opening anticipated around the end of the year. The completion of Gangjin Station is expected to bring about a "miracle of the new Gangjin era" through revitalization of the local economy.

As the saying "East Suncheon, West Gangjin" has long circulated, Gangjin-gun, once a transportation hub in the southwestern region, is expected to regain its former glory with the smooth progress of the Gangjin-Wando highway construction following the railroad.

According to the 2nd National Road Network Comprehensive Plan, the Gangjin-Gwangju highway, aimed at ensuring smooth connectivity between the north-south and east-west highway axes, is a national project to build a 4-lane expressway spanning 51.11 km from Myeongsan-ri, Seongjeon-myeon to Byeokjin-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, with a total project cost of 1.78 trillion KRW.

Originally scheduled for completion this year, the highway was delayed by two years due to the discovery of the "Janggobun," a 5th to 6th-century tomb, in Naju. However, by altering the road alignment, the project currently shows about 70% progress and is proceeding smoothly with a target opening in August 2026.

The Gangjin-Gwangju highway is expected to become a symbolic road network for regional balanced development by establishing robust transportation infrastructure that has been a major obstacle to regional development and significantly improving highway accessibility in the southwestern part of Jeollanam-do, which has remained among the lowest nationwide.

The Kkachinaejae Tunnel project, a long-standing wish of the residents of Buksam-myeon, is also being steadily promoted with a target completion date of July 2026.

(The second from the right) Gang Jin-won, the county governor, is visiting the Kkachinaejae Tunnel construction site and receiving explanations from officials. [Photo by Gangjin County]

The Kkachinaejae Tunnel project is a preliminary improvement project for the approximately 3.3 km section from Pasan-ri, Gundo-myeon to Samdang-ri, Jakcheon-myeon. It involves constructing a 0.94 km tunnel, 2.36 km of access roads, and one bridge, with a total construction cost of 70 billion KRW. This is a purely provincial government-funded project without any county funds.

As of January, the Kkachinaejae Tunnel project has an overall progress rate of about 50%. Tunnel excavation was completed in March last year, and currently, bridge and access road construction are in full swing.

The completion of the Kkachinaejae Tunnel is expected to expand transportation convenience for residents of Buksam-myeon, integrate living areas that had been divided by Gangjin-eup, and improve accessibility for tourists, thereby giving a boost to Gangjin-gun's key projects.

A county official stated, "We are closely cooperating with Jeollanam-do to ensure the early completion of the Kkachinaejae Tunnel project."

As large-scale SOC projects are completed one by one, Gangjin-gun is expected to solidify a strong foundation for regional development and accelerate the realization of the "new Gangjin era."

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