The Ministry of Strategy and Finance may conduct a feasibility study on connecting Jeju Island and the southwestern Honam region via underground high-speed train services, according to an opposition lawmaker who has been initiating the project.
During a budgetary hearing at the National Assembly Monday, Strategy and Finance Minister Yoon Jeung-hyun said the project needs to be given proper policy consideration through careful research.
The project entails building three separate lines ㅡ a 66-kilometer line from Mokpo to Haenam; a 28-kilometer line from Haenam to Bogil Island; and a 73-kilometer line from Bogil Island to Chuja Island to Jeju.
The last would be linked by high-speed train through an undersea tunnel. When connected with other major railway lines across the Honam region and the rest of the country, major inland cities and Jeju would be connected by train for the first time.
"Minister Yoon showed interest in discussing the project at the National Assembly with lawmakers of the relevant parliamentary committees, based on a consensus from the ministries concerned," Rep. Lee Yong-sup of the Democratic Party said.
The Korea Transport Institute (KTI) first conceived the project last year, and since then it has been gaining attention from some experts and politicians. However, authorities are cautious because of the associated cost and duration.
Rep. Lee said that the Honam-Jeju railway would be likely to require around 15 trillion won.
Besides contributing to balanced regional development, proponents of the Honam-Jeju railway have said that Korea will be able to develop its underwater construction expertise, resulting in an economic inducement worth 44 trillion won, and see 340,000 new jobs created in the construction industry.
The project is also expected to create new demand for travel and business to Jeju and Honam, creating a new axis of national growth.
"We take note of the significant future implications it may have on the country's economy and industry," said Chung Jong-hwan, minister of land, transport and maritime affairs, during a conference on the project at the National Assembly in May.
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