Councilor Choi Seoyoon Encourages Promotion of Uiwang-Gwangju Expressway and Ring Road Network Development

Choi Seoyoon, Gwangju City Council member.

Choi Seo-yoon, a member of the Gwangju City Council in Gyeonggi Province (People Power Party), strongly criticized the issues regarding the Uiwang~Gwangju Private Highway and the Gwangju City ring road network at the first plenary session of the 312th extraordinary meeting held on the 15th. Councilor Choi expressed concerns about the delays in the ring road network project, which had been highly anticipated to resolve Gwangju's long-standing traffic problems, as well as the promotion of the private highway.

Choi stated, "Gwangju City is a key transportation hub, and roads are an important infrastructure for regional development," adding, "Although the opening of major roads recently has accelerated Gwangju's development, traffic issues remain a significant challenge that must be addressed."

In particular, Councilor Choi strongly criticized the stagnation of Section 4 (Opo~Chowol) of the ring road network project. She said, "Citizens of Gwangju have been waiting in trust for the promised opening in 2028, but as the plan is delayed, residents are suffering from false hope," and insisted, "The private highway cannot replace the ring road network."

Regarding the Uiwang~Gwangju Private Highway, she pointed out the lack of an interchange in the Opo area, criticizing that "it causes only exhaust and noise damage without considering the convenience of local residents at all." Councilor Choi emphasized that an Opo interchange must be installed for the road to function properly for the citizens of Gwangju.

Additionally, Councilor Choi criticized the omission of Gwangju residents' representatives from the strategic environmental impact assessment consultative body formed for the promotion of the Uiwang~Gwangju private highway, stating, "While officials and resident representatives from other areas such as Uiwang, Seongnam, and Yongin participated in the consultative body, the voices of 410,000 Gwangju citizens were excluded," and added, "Under such circumstances, the position of Gwangju citizens cannot be properly reflected in the road planning."

Councilor Choi asserted, "Section 4 of the ring road network should proceed as originally planned, and thorough measures must be prepared to ensure that Gwangju citizens do not suffer any damage related to the Uiwang~Gwangju private highway."

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