Yongin Mayor Sharpens Stance Against Gyeonggi Governor Over Railroad Project Priorities

Mayor Lee Sang-il "Refusal to Disclose GTX Plus B/C Values by Province Ignores Residents' Right to Know"
"Why Can't We Compare Economic Feasibility with 'Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railroad' Promoted by Four Cities Including Yongin?"

Lee Sang-il, mayor of Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province, is continuously sharpening his criticism toward Gyeonggi Governor Kim Dong-yeon regarding the prioritization of the metropolitan railway project.

On the 20th, through a city press release, Mayor Lee criticized, "Gyeonggi Province’s insistence on not disclosing the benefit-cost (B/C) ratio of the GTX-Plus project, which it requested as the highest priority to be reflected in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s '5th National Railway Network Plan,' is a disregard for the right to know of Gyeonggi residents."

Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin, is requesting active cooperation from Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon regarding the Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railroad Project at a policy meeting held at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government on the 11th. Photo by Yongin City

The mayor directly stated, "Although the economic feasibility of the three GTX Plus projects, which are Governor Kim’s pledges, was investigated, the results were not disclosed, yet the projects were designated as the highest priority to be included in the national railway network plan. This is a trick against transparent administration," and added, "The results of the study should be disclosed, and the residents should evaluate whether the projects are valid and appropriate."

The GTX Plus mentioned by the mayor includes three lines: GTX G and H lines and the extension of the C line, all part of Governor Kim’s pledged projects. In particular, Mayor Lee has strongly opposed the relegation of the 'Southern Gyeonggi Metropolitan Railway,' jointly promoted by the four cities of Yongin, Suwon, Seongnam, and Hwaseong, to a lower priority during this process.

The Southern Gyeonggi Metropolitan Railway is a line connecting Jamsil Sports Complex Station, Suseo Station, Seongnam Pangyo, Yongin Sinbong and Seongbok-dong, Suwon Gwanggyo, and Hwaseong Bongdam. In a recent joint study conducted by the four cities, the B/C value was calculated as 1.2. The B/C value is based on 1, with values above 1 indicating greater benefit relative to cost.

Mayor Lee stated, "Placing the Southern Gyeonggi Metropolitan Railway project, which has a high B/C value, behind other projects in Gyeonggi Province’s project ranking ignores the 4 cities’ 4.2 million citizens," and urged Gyeonggi Province to disclose the B/C value of GTX Plus to compare the feasibility between the two projects.

The mayor warned, "If Governor Kim does not disclose the results of the province’s study, he will be criticized for hiding information and recklessly pushing only his own projects through tricks."

Meanwhile, despite the mayor’s continued demands, Gyeonggi Province has yet to disclose the B/C value of the GTX Plus project.