Gwangju City Requests Ministry of Land Cooperation on Airport and Railway Projects

Proposal for Swift Administrative Procedures:
Temporary Operation of International Flights at Gwangju Airport,
Exemption from Preliminary Feasibility Study for Dalbit Railway,
and Prompt Approval of the Gwangcheon-Sangmu Line

Kwangwan Ko, Deputy Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, attended the 'Gwangju-Jeonnam Region Railway Construction Project Report' held on the 6th at the situation room of Section 1, Phase 2 of the Honam High-Speed Railway, and proposed airport and railway pending projects in the Gwangju area to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Photo by Gwangju City

Gwangju City has submitted proposals to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport regarding regional airport and railway issues, including the temporary operation of international flights at Gwangju Airport, approval of the Gwangcheon-Sangmu Line urban railway construction plan, and exemption from the preliminary feasibility study for the Gwangju-Daegu Dalbit Railway.

On the 6th, Ko Gwangwan, Deputy Mayor for Administrative Affairs of Gwangju City, met with Baek Wonguk, the Second Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, who visited the construction site of the Honam High-Speed Railway Phase 2, Section 1 in Dasi-myeon, Naju. Ko explained the local airport and railway issues and requested cooperation.

Deputy Mayor Ko proposed the "temporary operation of international flights at Gwangju Airport." He conveyed the difficulties faced by the local tourism industry due to the closure of Muan International Airport following the Jeju Air passenger plane accident, as well as public opinion calling for the resumption of international flights.

He also requested prompt approval for the "Gwangju Urban Railway Network (Gwangcheon-Sangmu Line) Construction Plan" recently submitted to the Ministry. The Gwangcheon-Sangmu Line is an east-west line extending 7.78 km, starting from Sangmu Station, an interchange for Lines 1 and 2, passing through the Gwangcheon area and Sinan-dong, and connecting to the rear entrance of Gwangju Station. In conjunction with large-scale development plans around the Gwangcheon area, the line will serve high-demand locations such as the Gwangju General Bus Terminal and Gwangju Kia Champions Field.

The city has selected the Gwangcheon-Sangmu Line as the top priority route for the urban railway network construction plan and submitted the plan to the Ministry at the end of last month. The city plans to focus its administrative capacity to complete the project by 2032 by finalizing administrative procedures, including the Ministry's approval process and the Ministry of Economy and Finance's preliminary feasibility study, within the first half of this year.

Deputy Mayor Ko also proposed the "exemption of the preliminary feasibility study for the construction of the Gwangju-Daegu Dalbit Railway." The Dalbit Railway project, which connects the lives of 18 million residents in Yeongnam and Honam, is an east-west railway included in the Ministry's "4th National Railway Network Construction Plan" in 2021. Last year, a special law including the exemption clause was enacted through a record 261 National Assembly members' proposal. The Ministry has already submitted the exemption request to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, where it is currently under review.