Haenam County Promotes Seoul-Jeju High-Speed Rail Route... "Major SOC Transformation"

Gwangju-Haenam Expressway Aims for 2034 Opening

Haenam County in Jeonnam is accelerating major social overhead capital (SOC) projects such as high-speed rail and road network expansion following the opening of the railway. On October 2, the county announced that, with the opening of the Mokpo-Boseong railway line on September 27, railway transportation has been introduced to the county for the first time in its history.

The county expects that, once the electrification of the new Boseong-Suncheon section is completed by 2030, electric train operations will also become possible. The Mokpo-Boseong line is a project with a total investment of 1.6488 trillion won, which began construction in 2003 and opened after 23 years. Currently, Mugunghwa and Saemaeul trains stop at Haenam Station ten times a day.

Haenam County in Jeonnam is accelerating major social overhead capital (SOC) projects such as high-speed rail and road network expansion following the opening of the railway. Photo by Haenam County

In addition, the county is petitioning the government to include a high-speed rail (KTX) route connecting Seoul, Muan Airport, and Haenam in the 5th National Rail Network Construction Plan. By linking the newly opened Mokpo-Boseong line with the Honam High-Speed Rail, it will become possible to travel from Haenam to Seoul without transfers.

Alongside this, the county is also pursuing a plan for the Seoul-Jeju high-speed rail route to pass through Haenam. This is a large-scale national project with a total investment of approximately 27 trillion won, and the plan includes connecting Haenam, Wando, and Jeju.

Road network projects are also underway. The construction of National Route 77, which connects Haenam and Shinan, is currently 47% complete, and the excavation of the 2.7-kilometer subsea tunnel is scheduled for completion by the end of October. The entire project aims for completion in August 2027, with a total investment of 245.3 billion won.

Provincial road expansion and paving projects are also in progress. For the section between Haenam-eup and Daeheungsa, the Korea Water Resources Corporation is currently relocating pipelines, with a total investment of 52.7 billion won and a target completion date of May 2028.

Construction on the Masan-Sani section began last year, and currently, appraisals are being conducted for land compensation negotiations. Notably, in response to resident requests, the design is being revised to establish a dedicated road for agricultural machinery along the entire section, and the design plan could be finalized as early as the end of this year.

The Gwangju-Haenam expressway project passed the preliminary feasibility study last year, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is currently conducting a feasibility study. The administrative procedures for this route, which aims to open in 2034, are progressing smoothly. Once completed, the Gwangju-Haenam expressway is expected to reduce travel time between Gwangju and Haenam to around 40 minutes.

County Governor Myung Hyun-gwan stated, "Large-scale SOC projects play a leading role in regional development, so we will remain vigilant, continue to coordinate with central government agencies, and build a cooperative system with residents and political circles. We will do our utmost to ensure the planned projects achieve tangible results."

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