Uijeongbu Mayoral Candidate Byungyong Ahn: "I Will Surely Restore the Undergrounding of Line 1"

"Despite Gyeonggi Province Pledging to Cover 50% of Costs, City Gave Up Citing Budget Issues"

"A Catastrophe: 1.5 Billion Won Left Unused Despite 48.7 Billion Won Surplus"

"Will Allocate Emergency Supplementary Budget and Establish Comprehensive Plan Immediately Upon Election"

Byungyong Ahn, preliminary candidate for mayor of Uijeongbu from the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on March 16 that he would fully restore the "undergrounding of Subway Line 1 (Gyeongwon Line) in the Uijeongbu section," a project now at risk of cancellation, immediately upon his election.

Ahn Byung-yong, a preliminary candidate for mayor of Uijeongbu from the Democratic Party of Korea, held a press conference on transportation measures in Uijeongbu City on the 10th. Photo by Ahn Byung-yong, preliminary candidate

In his statement released that day, Byungyong Ahn directly criticized the current city administration, saying, "With the enactment of the 'Special Act on Railway Undergrounding' by the government in January 2024, there is now a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to resolve a 110-year-old civic aspiration without waiting for a preliminary feasibility study or securing national funding. However, while neighboring local governments celebrated, Uijeongbu City became a mere bystander."

Referring to the announcement made on March 12 by Dongyeon Kim, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, at the "Gyeonggi Province Railway Undergrounding Vision Declaration Ceremony" (covering four routes and 37 km within the province), where the Uijeongbu section of the Gyeongwon Line was excluded, Ahn strongly criticized the current mayor, saying, "The mayor's excuse for abandoning the application due to a lack of 3 billion won for research costs is a clear act of negligence of duty."

Byungyong Ahn pointed out, "Because Gyeonggi Province planned to provide 50% of the cost for establishing the basic plan, Uijeongbu City could have joined this major 110-year project by matching only 1.5 to 2 billion won."

He went on to express his outrage, stating, "Despite the 2024 settlement of Uijeongbu City showing a net surplus of as much as 48.7 billion won left unused, the city gave up a multi-trillion-won, century-long urban plan just because it supposedly lacked 1.5 billion won. This is an insult to the 470,000 citizens."

Regarding the cause of the current situation, Byungyong Ahn defined it as "a betrayal of public administration, where the current mayor ignored the foundation that had been built through a joint promotion agreement with Seoul's Dobong, Nowon, and Dongdaemun Districts since my tenure as mayor in 2011, merely to erase the legacy of his predecessor."

Byungyong Ahn declared, "We must put an end to the incompetent experiments of ruining a well-prepared table. Upon my election, I will immediately allocate an emergency supplementary budget to resume the stalled undergrounding master plan research, and with the strong political leadership that once led the development of former US military sites, I will ensure the inclusion of the Uijeongbu section in the government's comprehensive plan."

Byungyong Ahn appealed for support, stating, "Administration is not about finding reasons why something cannot be done, but about finding ways to make it happen at all costs. I will form a powerful citizen-led promotion committee to ensure the undergrounding of Line 1 is accomplished no matter what."

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