Gyeongju Democratic Party Committee Holds Launch Event for "Petition to Enact the Abandoned Railway Act"

Han Youngtae: "Neglected Abandoned Railway Sites Will Be Transformed into Public Spaces"
"Collected Signatures to Be Officially Submitted to the National Assembly and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; Legislative Petition to Follow"

The Gyeongju Regional Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea (Chairman Han Youngtae) will hold a “Citizen Petition Launch Event for the Enactment of the Abandoned Railway Act” in front of the former Gyeongju Station at 2:00 p.m. on October 15.

This event marks the starting point of a civic participation movement aimed at transforming neglected abandoned railway sites into public spaces for citizens.

Chairman Han Youngtae of the Gyeongju Regional Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea recently met President Lee Jae-myung for a meal, during which he conveyed the long-standing projects of the Gyeongju area.

Abandoned railway sites across the country, including the former Gyeongju Station site, have long remained unused, hindering urban vitality.

Currently, there are only “Guidelines for the Utilization of Idle Railway Land,” and there is no legal basis for systematic management and utilization, which has created practical limitations for local governments in pursuing development.

In response, the Gyeongju Regional Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea is launching this petition campaign to raise public awareness, together with citizens, of the legislative intent to establish a legal foundation for utilizing abandoned railway sites as community facilities, cultural spaces, and tourism infrastructure through the enactment of the Abandoned Railway Act.

The petition campaign will begin with the launch event and will be conducted both offline and online via Google Forms, allowing both party members and citizens to participate together.

Offline petition booths will be set up in key areas that are easily accessible to citizens. The campaign will also expand public support through various methods, including on-site signature drives and a social media certification campaign (#폐철도법제정 #경주구역사시민공간).

Han Youngtae, Chairman of the Gyeongju Regional Committee, emphasized, “The site of the former Gyeongju Station holds not only historical value but also the potential to be reborn as a cultural space within citizens’ daily lives. The signatures of citizens will become the driving force to change the future of Gyeongju.”

Chairman Han Youngtae has also agreed to work in a bipartisan manner with Kim Seokki, the local National Assembly member from the People Power Party, to ensure the success of the legislation. Once the petition campaign concludes, the collected signatures will be officially submitted to the National Assembly and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and a legislative petition for the enactment of the Abandoned Railway Act will be pursued.