Inje County Ushers In 2028 High-Speed Rail Era... Investing 830 Billion Won to Design the Next 100 Years

Inje County Speeds Up "Station-Area Development" Ahead of 2028 High-Speed Railway Opening
Creation of a "Compact City for 30,000 Residents" Centered on Inje (Wontong) Station
Baekdam Station to Be Developed into a "Global Stay-Type Tourism Destination"

Inje County in Gangwon Province is concentrating its administrative capacity on a station-area development project that will completely reorganize the region's spatial structure and economic map ahead of the opening of the East-West High-Speed Railway in 2028.

Bird's-eye view of Wontong Station area. Provided by Inje-gun

This project is a core strategy to turn the changes brought by the railway opening into an opportunity for regional development and to achieve the goal of "happiness for 70,000 residents and 10 million tourists."

Once the East-West High-Speed Railway opens, travel time from Seoul (Yongsan) to Sokcho will be reduced to 1 hour and 39 minutes.

Accordingly, Inje County is promoting a large-scale station-area development project that will invest a total of 837.6 billion won in 38 projects by 2030, so that the county will not remain merely a stopover along the railway line.

The core of the Inje (Wontong) Station development is "creating a residential environment" and "urban integration."

The county plans to link the Wontong downtown area, Deoksan-ri in Inje-eup, and Inje downtown into a single urban zone and develop it into a "compact city" with an economically viable resident population of 30,000.

To this end, it will establish a residential-type district unit plan in Deoksan-ri and promote the creation of a "Rural Vitality Promotion Zone" that integrates road expansion, housing and jobs, as well as cultural and welfare facilities.

In addition, around Wontong Station, the county plans to create a "transfer facility (tourist information center)" and a "meeting plaza" to make the area an integrated hub connecting tourism and transportation, while also building a living cultural space where tourists and residents can enjoy together through the creation of a "Local Vitality Town" and the "Wontongcheon Ecological River Restoration" project.

Baekdam Station will be specialized as a "stay-type tourism hub" that maximizes the natural value of Seoraksan.

Bird's-eye view of Baekdam Station district. Provided by Inje-gun

The county plans to move beyond simple pass-through tourism by creating a "Smart Healing Center" and "Seorak Community Town" so that visitors can stay and heal, and to establish a distinctive tourism brand called "Inje, the Switzerland of Korea" through the "National Garden of Seorak Project" and the "Yongdae Local Garden."

This is a strategy to attract domestic and international tourists by combining nature-friendly infrastructure with a smart tourism system.

Inje County has formed a dedicated organization to secure the financial resources needed for station-area development and to implement the project, and is steadily carrying out four key strategies: improving accessibility, enhancing residential conditions, fostering the tourism industry, and promoting balanced development.

An official from the county said, "Station-area development is not just about building physical facilities, but about improving the quality of life for residents. With the determination that this is the golden time that will determine the next 100 years of the region's future, we will prepare thoroughly."

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