Kim Kyungsoo, Gyeongnam Governor Candidate, First Pledge: "Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Megacity 30-Minute Living Zone via Four Major Rail Networks"

by Lee Seryeong

Published 27 Apr.2026 15:27(KST)

Kim Kyungsoo, the preliminary candidate for Governor of South Gyeongsang Province from the Democratic Party of Korea, has made the establishment of a 'Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Megacity 30-Minute Living Zone' through the connection of the four major railroad networks his first pledge for the 9th Nationwide Local Elections.

On April 27, at a press conference held in the provincial council briefing room, Kim stated, "I am here today to announce my first promise, which is to revive the crumbling Gyeongnam economy and make the heart of the 8 million people of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam beat again."

He explained, "While the Korean economy recorded positive growth of over 1% last year, Gyeongnam saw a negative 0.8%. This economic crisis facing Gyeongnam cannot be overcome by the existing methods."

He continued, "The first task for Gyeongnam's economic innovation is the immediate restoration of the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Megacity. This megacity is a survival strategy that will allow our young people to pursue their dreams right here without having to go to Seoul," he emphasized.

Kim Kyungsoo, a preliminary candidate for governor of South Gyeongsang Province from the Democratic Party of Korea, is announcing a pledge to establish a "Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Megacity 30-Minute Living Zone" through the connection of the four major railway networks.
[Photo by Lee Seryeong]

Kim argued, "We must make it possible for people to travel anywhere in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region using public transportation, just like in the Seoul metropolitan area. This is the minimum condition for making Gyeongnam a region where young people stay, and the first thing needed for this is intercity connectivity."

He then presented his first pledge, the 'Gyeongnam Transportation Network Transformation,' which includes: the construction of four major metropolitan railroad networks; the creation of a Gyeongnam era with zero public transportation blind spots using an AI-based ART (All-Demand Responsive Transportation) system; and a significant reduction in transportation costs for residents.

Kim promised, "By making the early completion and extension of the West Gyeongnam KTX line the first axis; the acceleration of the East Gyeongnam KTX line the second axis; the construction of a South Coast Metropolitan Express Railway the third axis; and the early commencement of the Dalbit Railway the fourth axis, we will connect the entire Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region as a single living zone through these four railroad networks."

First, if elected governor, he pledged to complete the West Gyeongnam KTX, which is scheduled to open in 2031, ahead of schedule during the ninth civil administration term between 2026 and 2030, and to extend the terminal from Geoje to the new airport on Gadeokdo.

He also promised to speed up the Gyeongjeon Line KTX section from East Daegu to Changwon and Masan, and to connect it to the new Gadeokdo airport, developing East Gyeongnam into a hub for advanced logistics industries.

Additionally, he outlined plans to transform the Gyeongjeon Line connecting Jinju, Changwon, Gimhae, and Busan into a metropolitan express railway like the GTX in the capital area, linking major cities in Gyeongnam and Busan into a "30-minute living zone."

He also stated that he would work with the central government to commence construction of the Dalbit Railway, which will connect Geochang, Hamyang, and Hapcheon, as soon as possible.

Furthermore, he mentioned the early completion of key projects for the South Coast tourism belt, such as the extension of National Route 5 from Masan to Geoje, Tongyeong, and Namhae, and the Namhae-Yeosu undersea tunnel project.

Conceptual diagram related to Kim Kyung-Soo, Democratic Party preliminary candidate for Governor of Gyeongnam Province's four major metropolitan railroad network pledge in Gyeongnam. [Image provided by Kim Kyung-Soo Candidate's Election Office]

Kim also declared, "Through the AI-based user-responsive public transportation platform, ART (AI/All-Demand Responsive Transportation), we will be the first in the country to usher in an era of zero public transportation blind spots, where you can travel from your doorstep to your destination's doorstep."

He said, "By leveraging artificial intelligence to predict public transportation demand in advance and dispatch vehicles efficiently and flexibly through the user-responsive ART system, we will ensure public transportation is accessible anywhere in Gyeongnam."

"Instead of people adjusting to bus timetables, public transportation will adapt to residents' schedules," he said confidently. "This will end the frustration of spending hard-earned overtime pay on taxi fares. In industrial complexes with frequent night shifts, ART-dispatched public transportation will be available to coincide with shift times, and ART will dispatch buses like taxis to match train schedules."

Huh Sung-moo, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea's Gyeongnam Provincial Committee, is making a supportive statement for candidate Kim Kyungsoo as the overall standing election campaign chairman of Kim's campaign.
[Photo by Lee Seryung]

He also pledged to integrate the taxi and bus dispatch and call systems of all 18 cities and counties into a single AI platform; introduce trackless trams (TRT; Trackless Rapid Transit) that run on rubber tires without track construction; and localize the production of tram vehicles.

He also proposed the operation of the 'Gyeongnam Pass,' a monthly subscription allowing unlimited use of all public transportation; the introduction of ultra-low-cost passes for public transportation-vulnerable areas such as towns and villages; the issuance of public transportation fare reimbursement vouchers for workers in six special opportunity zones and industrial complexes; support for intercity bus fares for college students traveling long distances within the province; and phased free boarding for island residents.

Kim stated, "Through the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Megacity, I will certainly achieve a major transformation of the Gyeongnam economy, and I will begin that promise with the transformation of the Gyeongnam transportation network."

He added, "I will ensure that people gather and money stays through the railway network, making Gyeongnam a place where people stay rather than just pass through, and where young people who have left will return and plan their futures. I, Kim Kyungsoo, will make this happen."