Gangdong-gu and Hanam-si GTX-D Line Joint Promotion Committee 'GTX-D Gangdong~Hanam Connection Urged' Protest Visit to Ministry of Land on 12th

Position Statement and Protest Rally on GTX-D 'Gimpo~Bucheon' Shortening... Urging Inclusion of Route Passing Gangnam~Jamsil Area via Gangdong-gu

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon) announced on the 12th that the Gangdong-gu and Hanam-si GTX-D Line Joint Promotion Committee held a protest visit in front of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, expressing their position on the draft of the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan, which includes the GTX-D (Metropolitan Area Express Railway) line only in the 'Gimpo Janggi~Bucheon Sports Complex' section.

The 'Gangdong-gu and Hanam-si GTX-D Line Joint Promotion Committee' consists of Lee Jeong-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, Kim Sang-ho, Mayor of Hanam-si, local National Assembly members from Gangdong-gu and Hanam-si, and resident representatives.

Since its launch in August 2020 to cooperate in attracting the GTX-D line to Gangdong-gu and Hanam-si, the committee has jointly worked by holding policy forums at the National Assembly, among other efforts.

The visit to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in Sejong City was to protest the significant reduction of the GTX-D line to the Gimpo~Bucheon section.

The Promotion Committee plans to hold a demonstration by announcing the 'Resolution to Urge the Inclusion of the Gangdong-gu and Hanam-si Route in the Metropolitan Area Express Railway (GTX-D) Line.'

The committee stated, “The government has unilaterally pushed housing supply policies, such as deciding to build public housing without prior consent from residents of Gangdong-gu and Hanam-si, forcing sacrifices on residents. However, the only outcomes have been explosive population growth and severe traffic congestion.”

They added, “We had expected the GTX-D line to be an alternative to resolve the population increase caused by large-scale reconstruction, land development, and business district formation, as well as the worsening metropolitan traffic problems. However, upon hearing the plan to drastically reduce the line to the 'Gimpo Janggi~Bucheon Sports Complex' section, we could not hide our disappointment. We will continue to make every effort to attract the GTX-D line to Gangdong-gu and Hanam-si.”

So far, Gangdong-gu conducted a resident signature campaign from March to August last year to promote the GTX-D line passing through Gangdong-gu, gathering participation from over 100,000 residents. The district also independently carried out the 'Gangdong-gu GTX-D Introduction Research Project' and proposed the GTX-D line passing through Gangdong-gu to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Lee Jeong-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, said, “The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's announcement of the reduction significantly diminishes the balanced development of the metropolitan area and the compact effect of urban space that the GTX project aims for, while removing the connecting link that allows Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon to develop together. We strongly urge the route to be readjusted and reflected in the 4th National Railway Network Construction Plan, embodying the national will so that the Metropolitan Area Express Railway (GTX-D) does not lose its significance.”