6th Public Livelihood Forum Opening Remarks
Yoon "Quality of Commute is Quality of Life"
Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam, TK, Gwangju-Jeonnam, Daejeon-Sejong-Chungcheong
Solving Commute Issues with xTX Construction
Rapid Promotion of Underground Railroads and Highways
President Yoon Suk-yeol announced on the 25th that through the smooth advancement of the Metropolitan Area Express Railway (GTX) project, "we will open the full-scale GTX era starting this year." The plan aims to solve the commuting traffic congestion in the metropolitan area and the lack of transportation infrastructure in local regions, targeting a "30-minute commuting era." First, the GTX A, B, and C lines will be expanded, and new D, E, and F lines will be established. Additionally, major highways and railways in the metropolitan area will be rapidly moved underground, and the construction of metropolitan express railways in regional large cities will be promoted to address transportation disparities.
In his opening remarks at the 6th "Public Discussion on Livelihoods with the People," held at the main auditorium of Uijeongbu City Hall in Gyeonggi Province under the theme "30-minute commuting era, resolving transportation disparities," President Yoon said, "If transportation is properly established, people can sleep more, spend time on self-development, or most importantly, spend more time with their families." President Yoon, who had missed the livelihood discussion on the 22nd, resumed his livelihood activities after resolving conflicts between the ruling party and the government.
On this day, President Yoon stated, "We will expand the GTX A, B, and C lines and establish D, E, and F lines." He expressed empathy, saying, "Transportation is as important as housing in life, and housing and transportation are almost inseparable. Due to misguided real estate regulation policies, housing prices have risen too much, and urban housing supply has been virtually blocked, forcing many to move to the outskirts of cities without proper transportation infrastructure, causing great hardship." He reaffirmed his presidential campaign pledge for a "30-minute commuting era."
According to the government, the average commuting time in major metropolitan areas nationwide is about two hours, and based on 20 working days per month, people spend 40 hours monthly on the road. President Yoon emphasized, "When I took the Gimpo Gold Line during the presidential election, it was truly suffocating. That is why I promised a 30-minute commuting era since the election. The quality of commuting is directly linked to the quality of our lives."
GTX-C Passing Through Uijeongbu to Open by 2028
He also introduced specific schedules for the opening of GTX lines. President Yoon emphasized, "The GTX-C line passing through Uijeongbu will have its groundbreaking ceremony today and will open by 2028." He added, "The A line, which is progressing the fastest, will open the Suseo-Dongtan section in March. The Paju-Seoul Station section will also open by the end of the year. The B line, connecting Incheon to Namyangju, will break ground in March and open by 2030." Furthermore, he mentioned, "Extensions of the A, B, and C lines will be swiftly pursued. The A line will extend to Pyeongtaek, the B line to Chuncheon, and the C line will extend north to Dongducheon and south to Cheonan-Asan."
Regarding the GTX A, B, and C construction plans, he said, "Since local governments will bear the costs for the extensions of the A and C lines, design work will begin early next year without preliminary feasibility studies (PFS), and for the B line, we will proceed with PFS in consultation with local governments."
He also explained the blueprint for establishing the D, E, and F lines. President Yoon said, "The D line will connect Incheon and Gimpo through Gangnam to Namyangju and Wonju in a Y shape; the E line will be built from Incheon through Gangbuk to Guri and Namyangju; and the F line will be a metropolitan circular line. These three lines will be incorporated into the national railway network plan first and promoted simultaneously. We will also consider private proposals and pursue rapid progress as private investment projects."
President Yoon emphasized the significant economic effects of completing the GTX on the metropolitan area, Chungcheong, and Gangwon regions. He explained, "With the expansion of living zones through GTX, a single super-connected economic metropolitan living zone will be formed from the metropolitan area to Chungcheong and Gangwon. This will not only improve commuting convenience but also create new investments and jobs." The plan also aims to stabilize the market by revitalizing domestic demand and supplying new housing sites near stations. According to quantitative analysis by the Korea Transport Institute, the direct employment effect of GTX is 500,000 people, and the direct production inducement effect is 75 trillion won.
11 Trillion Won Concentrated Investment in Metropolitan Area Transportation Improvement Measures
Additionally, President Yoon explained plans to concentrate 11 trillion won in transportation improvement funds across the four major metropolitan area sectors?east, west, south, and north?and to swiftly mediate conflicts among local governments and institutions to thoroughly resolve transportation issues in new towns. He said, "We will significantly shorten the construction period for transportation networks in newly developed new towns. Compared to existing new towns, road construction periods will be reduced by two years, and although railway construction takes a long time, we will reduce the railway network construction period from 5 years and 6 months to 8 years."
Since commuting problems are experienced not only in Seoul and the metropolitan area but also in major cities nationwide, the plan includes building metropolitan express railways with a maximum speed of 180 km/h in regional zones such as Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (BUK), Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK), Daejeon-Sejong-Chungcheong, and Gwangju-Jeonnam. President Yoon stated, "We will start the Daejeon-Sejong-Cheongju CTX, which has been converted to a private investment project, within this year and will prepare promotion plans for other lines in consultation with local governments. Through this, we will develop regional metropolitan areas into mega cities where 30-minute commuting is possible."
He added, "We will also install dedicated bus lanes on main roads, significantly introduce double-decker electric buses, and progressively promote the undergrounding of major metropolitan highways such as the metropolitan circular, Gyeongbu, and Gyeongin highways during my term. We will also begin establishing a comprehensive plan for railway undergrounding."
During the approximately one-hour discussion, a dual-income family head commuting from Gyeonggi Province to Seoul and a metropolitan area university student commuting daily to Seoul shared their experiences and voiced complaints about traffic difficulties.
A Uijeongbu citizen lamented, "Commuting to Seoul takes about 2 to 2.5 hours a day, so our family lives without evenings and even without mornings." In response, President Yoon mentioned, "During my presidential campaign, I met a young person who slept in the trunk of a car because they could not afford Seoul's high housing costs and the long commuting times from the outskirts. At that time, I directly realized that the issues of urban housing supply and transportation measures were truly serious."
A citizen who commutes on the so-called "hell train," the Gimpo Gold Line, said, "The GTX or subway Line 5 extension projects promoted by the government take a physically long time, but we, who have to endure the commuting hell like a 'survival game' even tomorrow, feel helpless and worried." President Yoon expressed regret, saying, "The Gimpo Gold Line trains have only two cars and were designed so that no additional cars can be added. It is frustrating how it was built shortsightedly without any consideration for the future."
A citizen commuting from Daegu to Gumi said, "Taking the bus takes two hours, there are almost no trains matching commuting times, and driving a private car is difficult due to high costs such as substitute drivers."
Government to Induce Private Investment for Accelerated Progress
In his closing remarks, President Yoon said, "The most important thing is money. This special law allows projects to be promoted through private investment and enables proper distribution of the profits generated. I am confident that it will induce a lot of private investment and proceed rapidly, and the government will play a central role here."
He urged public officials, saying, "Transportation policy should not rely solely on indicators or report figures. The pain and inconvenience of citizens who have to line up long at metropolitan bus stops in this cold weather and struggle to breathe in crowded subways cannot be quantified by any statistics. A government for the people must resolve this promptly."
The discussion was attended by presidential office aides including Chief Secretary Lee Gwan-seop, Policy Chief Seong Tae-yoon, Economic Chief Park Chun-seop, Civil Society Chief Hwang Sang-mu, as well as Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Park Sang-woo and Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) President Lee Han-jun.
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