Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Transport minister cornered by angry bed town residents
Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee speaks at a press conference held in Sejong, Thursday. Courtesy of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Yonahp
By Kwak Yeon-soo
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee is facing growing criticism from residents of commuter towns adjacent to Seoul for her introduction of plans for additional exurban communities.
The residents fear the envisioned developments will bring down the prices of their homes amid the ongoing housing market slump, and make traffic worse when they commute to their workplaces in Seoul.
On Thursday, the transport ministry arranged a press conference for Kim to announce plans for improving transportation infrastructure for residents on the outskirts of Seoul by establishing express railways and extending existing subway lines.
However, these plans fell short of the expectations of angry commuter town residents, affected by the Moon Jae-in administration's goal of building hundreds of thousands of new apartments in Gyeonggi Province. They are demanding the government scrap the housing supply plan outright.
Last September, the transport ministry announced the provision of 300,000 affordable homes in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province in the coming years to curb rises in apartment prices.
At the time, the ministry initially announced a list of cities that would house 35,000 new homes. In December it also named municipalities that would be home to another 155,000; while in May, it announced the 28 districts in Seoul and cities in Gyeonggi Province, in which the remaining 110,000 new homes would be built.
The earliest “New Town” developments included Bundang and Ilsan created in the early 1990s. Pangyo, Dongtan and Gimpo were among the second projects built in the early 2010s. The third batch includes Goyang and Bucheon.
Kim's future looks murky as she faces severe protests from residents of Ilsan, northwest of Seoul, where she plans to run for re-election next year.
They have expressed disappointment with Kim, with some even saying she abandoned her constituents, putting her in damage control mode.
Kim promised the government will finish the construction of the high-speed GTX-A train by 2023.
“The express train railways, to be built 40 meters underground, will link Ilsan and the capital and will make the journey time between cities in Gyeonggi Province and Seoul less than 20 minutes,” she said.
“I know there are some disputes over designating the new commuter towns. The GTX will be an innovative way to address this problem,” she said.
Alongside the GTX-A, Incheon Subway Line 2 and the Seohae Line will be extended to connect to Ilsan. To counter any potential traffic problems there, the ministry said it will also review building an underground road network.
The minister has argued that the government has been successful in controlling housing prices. According to her, prices in the capital area have fallen for 28 consecutive weeks due to the government's mass housing supply plans and hefty taxation on real estate.
“Ilsan residents think they're the only ones who are losing money, but housing prices overall have been falling. The government will continue its efforts to provide affordable but quality homes to the needy, including young married couples and the elderly,” Kim said.