[2023 National Audit] Ham Jin-gyu "Yangpyeong Expressway Route Change, Limited Role of Korea Expressway Corporation"

Ham Jin-gyu, President of Korea Expressway Corporation, stated on the 12th that the Expressway Corporation was not significantly involved in the route change and economic feasibility comparison analysis of the Seoul~Yangpyeong Expressway.

Ham Jin-gyu, President of Korea Expressway Corporation (center), is responding to a lawmaker's question during the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee's audit on the 12th. / Photo by Yonhap News

On the same day, during the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee’s audit, when lawmakers asked whether the Expressway Corporation intervened in the commissioning of the service company that proposed alternative routes for the Seoul~Yangpyeong Expressway, President Ham said, "I understand it is not significantly related."

Park Sang-hyuk, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, questioned President Ham, "Hasn't the Expressway Corporation’s involvement been high, considering it participated in 44 working meetings with the service company over the past year?" In response, President Ham replied, "Before the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s report, they unilaterally informed us of the contents, but we did not particularly present any opinions."

Regarding the cost-benefit (B/C) analysis of the Seoul~Yangpyeong Expressway recently announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, he also said, "I understand that we did not play a major role."

Earlier, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that the B/C ratio of the alternative route for the Seoul~Yangpyeong Expressway was 0.83, which is 13.7% (0.1) higher than the original route (0.73).

The opposition party also raised concerns about the Namhangang Rest Area, which is being constructed near Namyangpyeong IC on the Jungbu Inland Expressway close to the terminus (Gangsang-myeon) of the alternative Seoul~Yangpyeong Expressway route, being converted to a private investment model.

Lee So-young, a Democratic Party lawmaker, said, "The Expressway Corporation had already built the building at a cost of 22.9 billion KRW, and the project could be completed with an additional investment of 4 billion KRW, but after President Ham’s inauguration, it was suddenly converted to a private investment model," raising suspicion by asking, "Who planned and ordered this, as it seems to be giving preferential treatment to the business operator?"

She added, "The winning company was Wizcorp, which was considered a 'Yoon Seok-yeol theme stock' and whose stock price soared. Isn’t it too coincidental to call it a coincidence? Why are there so many exceptions only in Byeongsan-ri, Gangsang-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun?"

In response, Kim Myung-ho, Head of Sales at the Expressway Corporation, explained, "The location of the rest area was decided before the route was an issue," and added, "We incorporated the private investment model to provide customers with advanced rest facilities."