Oh Hu-seok, the Deputy Governor of Gyeonggi Province, has addressed concerns regarding the alleged exclusion of local governments from decision-making processes, making it clear that he has requested active consideration of all proposed projects, including three key routes and the entire Gyeonggi Province projects.
Deputy Governor Oh stated in a press conference that Gyeonggi Province submitted proposals for high-speed and general railways in February, and metropolitan railways in May, aligning with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s new business guidelines to include all projects suggested by local cities and counties for the 5th National Rail Network Plan.
Recently, some local governments in southern Gyeonggi, including Seongnam and Yongin, raised concerns about being excluded from the priority list in the new rail network plan (2026-2035), urging for the inclusion of the Gyeonggi South Metropolitan Railway. In response, Gyeonggi Province refuted these claims.
Oh clarified that in June, the Ministry of Land requested 17 local governments to prioritize only three projects. Despite difficulty accepting just three projects given the inclusion of 16 new projects in the 3rd plan (44.4% of the national total) and 21 in the 4th plan (47.7%), Gyeonggi Province complied with the request while urging for the consideration of all its proposed projects.
He mentioned that the exclusion of the Gyeonggi South Metropolitan Railway from the three priority projects was due to its high economic feasibility and the submission of a letter of intent by a private investor to the Ministry, which could positively influence its evaluation.
Oh criticized misleading information from some local governments suggesting that projects not prioritized would not be reviewed or included, causing confusion among residents. He stressed the importance of avoiding errors that ignore Gyeonggi Province’s characteristics due to a focus solely on the Ministry’s three priority projects. Instead, he suggested advocating for a significant expansion of the budget for new projects in the 5th plan.
Amid the contention, the city governments of Suwon, Seongnam, Yongin, and Hwaseong have previously agreed to cooperate on establishing the Gyeonggi South Metropolitan Railway.
Gyeonggi Province has proposed the inclusion of 11 high-speed and general railway projects, including the KTX extension to Paju, and 29 metropolitan railway projects, including three GTX Plus lines and the Gyeonggi South Metropolitan Railway, in the 5th National Rail Network Plan.
The Ministry of Land is currently conducting studies based on project proposals submitted by the 17 cities and provinces for the establishment of the 5th National Rail Network Plan next year.