Gwangju City Council Member Jok Seokho Calls for Swift Advancement of Honam Expressway Expansion

"Irresponsible Administration Failing to Keep a 10-Year Project Promise"
City: "Massive Fiscal Burden... Decision for Gradual Implementation"

Jok Seokho, Gwangju City Councilor.

There has been a call for the rapid advancement of the expansion project for the Honam Expressway section between Donggwangju and Gwangsan interchanges, a stretch in the Gwangju area notorious for chronic traffic congestion.

Jok Seokho, a member of the Gwangju City Council (Democratic Party of Korea, Buk-gu 4), strongly criticized Gwangju City's inaction on the Honam Expressway expansion project during the deliberations of the Special Committee on Budget and Accounts for the first supplementary budget for 2025 on June 26.

Jok pointed out, "There are claims that the reason the entire 36.7 billion won in national funding for the Honam Expressway expansion was cut in President Lee Jaemyung's administration's first supplementary budget is due to Gwangju City's passive administration and lack of commitment," and added, "Is it responsible governance to postpone for over ten years the expansion of a major urban road that handles over 130,000 vehicles a day?"

He continued, "In 2015, through mediation by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Korea Expressway Corporation and Gwangju City even signed a 50-50 cost-sharing agreement for the Honam Expressway expansion," and criticized, "Even last January, the city promoted the imminent start of the Honam Expressway expansion and the Yongbong IC access road at a public briefing, but to this day, nothing has been implemented."

In particular, he emphasized, "The Honam Expressway expansion is a campaign pledge of President Lee Jaemyung and an issue already agreed upon with the central government," adding, "Gwangju City's current stance that it will not proceed unless the full cost is covered by national funds is nothing but an act of deceiving the citizens."

Jok also stressed, "If Gwangju City simply shows willingness, the cut budget can be fully restored," and urged, "The city should promptly move forward with the project and work with local National Assembly members to restore the full amount of national funding."

In response, a Gwangju City official stated, "The Honam Expressway expansion is a large-scale national project with a total budget of 790 billion won, and Gwangju City's share alone amounts to about 400 billion won," adding, "To implement this, it would be unavoidable for the city to issue local bonds worth about 100 billion won annually, which would place a significant burden on the municipal finances."

The official explained, "The city has been carefully reviewing the project start date and funding methods from the perspectives of citizen benefit and fiscal soundness," and added, "The reduction in national funding in this supplementary budget is a measure in response to project delays, and it is not a withdrawal of commitment to the project but a decision for gradual implementation considering the city's financial situation."

The official further stated, "Going forward, the city will continue to work closely with the central government, Korea Expressway Corporation, and the National Assembly to devise practical measures that minimize the burden on citizens."