Won Hee-ryong Issues Strong Warning: "Why Should GTX Bypass Only Eunma Apartments?"

"Keep the 2028 Opening Promise to the Public... Please Cooperate"
"Unfounded Agitation and Obstruction of National Projects Will Not Be Tolerated"
"Firm Stance: Judicial Measures Will Be Taken if Public Interest Is Violated"

On the afternoon of the 23rd, Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, held a meeting at the Gangnam-gu Community Center to gather opinions from residents of Eunma Apartment regarding the GTX-C line.

Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, issued a strong warning to the residents of Eunma Apartment in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, who are demanding a reroute of the Seoul Metropolitan Express Train (GTX)-C line, stating, "As the Minister of Land, I will never tolerate the spreading of vague anxieties, obstruction of national projects, and incitement."

On the afternoon of the 23rd, Minister Won held a meeting at the Gangnam-gu Community Center to gather opinions from Eunma Apartment residents regarding the GTX-C line.

At the meeting, Minister Won said, "Despite the use of safe construction methods, it is difficult for the public to accept the claim that the railway should not pass beneath only Eunma Apartment housing," and requested, "Please stop baseless opposition that infringes on the public interest and cooperate for the smooth progress of the GTX-C project."

Minister Won also expressed a firm stance that legal action would be taken if public interest is harmed by unfounded claims.

He stated, "If acts that infringe on and obstruct the public interest continue through baseless unilateral claims or incitement of residents, administrative investigations or legal actions will be taken."

In particular, he emphasized, "We will take all possible measures that the Ministry of Land can exercise, including administrative investigation authority, against those who, holding only one ten-thousandth of a share per household, lead efforts to manipulate a national project and engage in illegal acts using public funds."

The GTX-C line, connecting Yangju in Gyeonggi Province and Suwon, passes approximately 50 meters underground beneath Eunma Apartment between Samsung Station and Yangjae Station.

Residents of Eunma Apartment are demanding a route change, citing safety concerns if the GTX passes under the apartment complex, which is scheduled for reconstruction.

The residents have claimed that the Ministry of Land refuses to consider a bypass plan, citing higher project costs despite the possibility of rerouting around Eunma Apartment. They even held protests demanding a route change in front of the home of Chung Eui-sun, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group and owner of Hyundai Construction, the construction company.

Hyundai Construction maintains that the section passing under Eunma Apartment is a deep tunnel constructed about 60 meters underground, ensuring safety. Earlier, Hyundai Construction stated that it judged further negotiations with the Eunma Reconstruction Promotion Committee to be impossible and announced it would not submit additional bypass proposals for the GTX-C line.

Minister Won said, "The construction methods applied to the Eunma Apartment section have already been verified through projects such as the Han River underwater tunnel and the GTX-A section, which pass through numerous residential areas and city centers," and assured, "We will take full responsibility for safety."

Among the planned GTX-A routes, three sections and 18 sections of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway pass beneath residential areas, and there have been more than 12 cases where housing was reconstructed above the railway after construction without any issues.

Minister Won stated, "We cannot allow or yield as a government agency to the spreading of vague anxieties and incitement regarding national projects," and added, "We cannot set a precedent where a national project is changed due to demands that it not pass beneath a particular complex."

He then firmly stated, "The current route was selected after reviewing various alternatives since the 2014 preliminary feasibility study, and we will proceed with the prepared original plan."

He continued, "The GTX-C, which will serve as the transportation for over 300,000 citizens daily, must not be delayed any further," emphasizing, "We will definitely keep the public promise of starting construction in 2023 and opening in 2028."