Four Cities and Provinces in Chungcheong Urge Inclusion of Ultra-Wide Area Arterial Road Network Project in National Plan

Administrative Council of Chungcheong Region Held in Sejong... Joint Proposal on 6 Issues, Joint Statement Adopted on 1 Issue
Mayor Lee Jangwoo: "We Must Lead the Local Era Through Solidarity and Cooperation"

Four provincial governors of the Chungcheong region held the 33rd Chungcheong Regional Administrative Council meeting on the 14th in Sejong. / Daejeon City

The four cities and provinces of the Chungcheong region, including Daejeon, have agreed to urge the inclusion of the Chungcheong Ultra-Wide Area Arterial Road Network project in the national plan and the construction of a dedicated runway for civilian aircraft at Cheongju International Airport.

On the afternoon of the 14th, Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon, Kim Taeheum, Governor of South Chungcheong Province, Kim Younghwan, Governor of North Chungcheong Province, and other heads of the four Chungcheong local governments held the 33rd Chungcheong Administrative Council at the Sejong Local Government Hall. They adopted a joint proposal on six key issues and a joint statement on one issue to lead balanced national development and the era of local autonomy.

The six joint proposals are: △ Inclusion of the Chungcheong Ultra-Wide Area Arterial Road Network project in the national plan △ Expansion of national funding for metropolitan railway construction and operation △ Prompt decision on additional relocation of public institutions △ Central government financial support for the Chungcheong Special Local Government △ Establishment and attraction of the 2nd Central Police Academy in South Chungcheong Province △ Urging the establishment of the National Dental Research Institute in Cheonan. The joint statement calls for the construction of a dedicated runway for civilian aircraft at Cheongju International Airport.

The four governors stated, "The Chungcheong Ultra-Wide Area Arterial Road Network project is a key infrastructure project to unite the Chungcheong region into a single wide-area economic zone and establish an ultra-wide regional alliance, thereby realizing balanced national development through the expansion of road and transportation infrastructure." They agreed to propose that the Boryeong~Daejeon~Boeun Expressway and the 2nd Chungcheong Outer Ring Expressway be included in the 3rd Expressway Construction Plan (2026~2030) as part of the national plan.

They also agreed to request national policy and financial support for the local governments' financial burden regarding the construction and operational loss costs of the Chungcheong Metropolitan Railway, which is being promoted as part of the National Railway Network Construction Plan: Phase 1 (Gyeryong~Sintanjin), Phase 2 (Sintanjin~Jochiwon), Phase 3 (Ganggyeong~Gyeryong), Daejeon~Okcheon Metropolitan Railway, and Daejeon~Sejong~Chungbuk Metropolitan Railway projects.

In addition, they said, "The government has selected 'relocation of public institutions and fostering regional growth hubs' as a national policy task and announced its intention to relocate public institutions located in the Seoul metropolitan area and support regionally specialized development. However, due to delays in decision-making on the second phase of public institution relocation, no clear direction has emerged." They agreed to urge the government to make a prompt decision on additional relocation of public institutions.

To ensure the sustainable and successful operation of the Chungcheong Special Local Government, which is scheduled to launch within this year, they also proposed the establishment of a wide-area cooperation account within the Special Account for Regional Balanced Development and the revision of the Local Allocation Tax Act to provide special allocation tax support.

They further stated, "Although international routes at Cheongju International Airport, the gateway airport of the Chungcheong region, are diversifying and the number of users is rapidly increasing, expansion of civilian aircraft operations is restricted due to its status as a joint military-civilian airport." They urged that the project to construct a dedicated runway for civilian aircraft be included in the 7th Comprehensive Airport Development Plan.

Lee Jangwoo, Mayor of Daejeon, emphasized, "Currently, South Korea is experiencing a concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area, leading to youth outflow, low birth rates, and the accelerated decline of local regions. In order for the Chungcheong region to emerge as a global innovation cluster surpassing the metropolitan area, the four cities and provinces of Daejeon, Sejong, South Chungcheong, and North Chungcheong must strengthen solidarity and cooperation."

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