New Vice Minister of Land Vows to Expand Transportation Network to Address Regional Imbalance

Kang Heeup Stresses Balanced Transportation Network
Pledges to Foster Innovation in Future Mobility and AI Integration
Vows to Enhance Transportation Welfare and Safety for All Citizens

Kang Heeup, the newly appointed 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated on the 14th, "We must expand a balanced transportation network to resolve the imbalance between the Seoul metropolitan area and the provinces."

At his inauguration ceremony held that day, Vice Minister Kang emphasized, "The core value of the Lee Jaemyung administration is flexible and pragmatic market-oriented policy," highlighting the importance of the Ministry's role in realizing the new government's vision. He added, "We will push forward with the Greater Seoul Metropolitan Express Railway (GTX) as planned, while also expanding the national transportation network?including roads, railways, and airports in the provinces?densely across the country. The railway undergrounding projects will also proceed without delay."

He also pledged to establish advanced infrastructure to foster high-tech industries. Vice Minister Kang said, "To drive innovation in future mobility, such as autonomous vehicles and urban air mobility (UAM), we will support private sector technology development and demonstration, and promote the transition to logistics AI using drones and robots, so that the transportation industry can continuously innovate. As the role of new technologies such as AI grows, we must mediate and coordinate to prevent conflicts between new and existing industries from intensifying."

As the new government emphasizes the fostering of AI, transportation is regarded as the most suitable field for integrating AI into actual industries and daily life. This is because platform businesses are active in the sector, and the need to apply AI to all modes of transportation, including autonomous driving, is increasing.

Kang Heeup, the newly appointed 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is speaking at the inauguration ceremony held at the Government Sejong Complex on the 14th. Provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

He also cited non-discriminatory transportation welfare as a major task. He said, "To ensure that all citizens are guaranteed basic opportunities in life anytime and anywhere, we must eliminate regional and social disparities in transportation services. We will gradually reduce transportation-vulnerable areas not served by public transportation such as buses and railways, and create a warm and inclusive travel environment for transportation-vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities and the elderly."

He urged a sense of responsibility as a related ministry to protect the lives and safety of the public. Vice Minister Kang said, "We will create a safe and fair workplace so that transportation industry workers, such as delivery drivers and freight vehicle owners, can be fairly compensated for their hard work in a comfortable environment. We will also review transportation safety policies from scratch to prevent a recurrence of incidents such as the 12·29 passenger plane disaster and the collapse accident on the Shinansan Line."

He added, "We will address the needs of the public from their perspective, prepare for innovation from a technological standpoint, and enhance sustainability with a view toward the future." Appointed the previous day, Vice Minister Kang is a seasoned bureaucrat who has worked across various transportation divisions within the Ministry. Before his appointment as Vice Minister, he served as the chairman of the Metropolitan Area Transportation Committee, a position equivalent to Vice Minister within the Ministry.

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