Won Hee-ryong, on Apology Demand for Yangpyeong Expressway: "Start with the Opposition Leaders Who Spread False Propaganda"

On the 26th, Won Hee-ryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated regarding the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway project, which has been embroiled in allegations of favoritism, "If anyone should apologize, it should be the two former and current leaders of the Democratic Party who have driven this situation into false agitation."

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong is responding to questions from lawmakers at the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee plenary session held at the National Assembly on the 26th. / Photo by Yonhap News

Minister Won made this remark in response to opposition lawmakers' demands for an apology during the plenary session of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee that day.

Before the current affairs questioning, opposition lawmakers pointed out that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport had not sincerely submitted related materials and that the disclosed documents also had issues.

In response, Minister Won emphasized, "On June 15, Lee Hae-chan, former leader of the Democratic Party, suddenly raised allegations of favoritism, which escalated the situation to this extent," adding, "Then Lee Jae-myung, the current Democratic Party leader, effectively gave instructions by even forming a task force (TF)."

Regarding the declaration to completely scrap the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway project, he explained, "Continuous controversies made it impossible to proceed with the project normally, and as the minister responsible for the project, I judged that it was urgent to first clarify the falsehoods."

Earlier, on the 6th, Minister Won announced at the National Assembly, "Not only will we halt the review of the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway route, but we will also completely stop the project itself and nullify all matters promoted under this government." He also stated that if he was involved in the route, he would stake not only his ministerial position but also his political life.

However, as the controversy did not subside, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport disclosed all 55 project documents from the past seven years on the 23rd. The ministry stated, "We tried to resolve the suspicions quickly, but as doubts remained, we unprecedentedly disclosed all materials." The intention is to have the public directly verify the information and to enable the project to resume promptly.

Minister Won said, "More than anyone, I hope the best route will be decided as soon as possible and the project will proceed normally," adding, "For this project to proceed smoothly and normally, unnecessary political strife must end quickly."

Additionally, Minister Won denied the opposition lawmakers' claims of "the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's intentional refusal to submit related materials and data manipulation."

Regarding the omission of four pages in the task performance plan by the contractor, which included the 'terminal point change review' among the 55 disclosed documents, Minister Won questioned, "If anything, this is material supporting the ministry's position, so why would we hide it?"

He continued, "The materials are so extensive and the work was done in a short period, so it seems the staff made a mistake," adding, "If there are practical errors or omissions, we will provide everything. We apologize for the missing parts."