Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
$1.3 bil. Seoul-Yangpyeong expressway project to resume after favoritism dispute
Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ik-pyo speaks during a media conference on the government's plan to resume the suspended Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway construction project at Cheong Wa Dae, Friday. Yonhap
By Jhoo Dong-chan
The presidential office said Friday that construction will resume on the long-delayed Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway, a 27-kilometer four-lane route linking Gamil-dong in Hanam with Yangpyeong, east of Seoul, at an estimated cost of 1.7 trillion won ($1.3 billion).
The project was halted in July 2023 after allegations emerged that a proposed route change — shifting the expressway’s endpoint from Yangseo-myeon to Gangsang-myeon, which are both in Yangpyeong — led to preferential treatment benefiting land linked to Kim Keon Hee, the wife of then-President Yoon Suk Yeol. Investigations later found that Kim’s family and affiliated companies owned multiple parcels of land within roughly five kilometers of the proposed endpoint.
Hong Ik-pyo, the presidential secretary for political affairs, said at a news conference that the decision to revive the project reflected a view that it could no longer be delayed.
“The decision was driven by the judgment that the project could no longer be delayed, given worsening congestion in surrounding areas and the expected 2029 occupancy of Gyosan New Town,” he said, adding that the government will “soon carry out a new feasibility study.”
The project traces its origins to a private-sector proposal submitted in 2008 by Hanshin Engineering & Construction, which was rejected the following year on economic feasibility grounds. The government revived the plan in January 2017, folding it into its first five-year highway construction program.
In April 2021, the project passed a preliminary feasibility review by the Korea Development Institute, with economic indicators showing marginal viability. A full feasibility study began in March 2022, but the plan was later scrapped by then Transport Minister Won Hee-ryong amid allegations that the proposed route favored land linked to the first lady at the time.
A separate special prosecutor’s investigation into allegations involving Kim, including those tied to the expressway project, is ongoing. Political analysts say the inquiry is likely to conclude by mid-2026 — a timeline that regional officials see as a pivotal window for restarting the project.
Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, along with local officials in Gyeonggi Province, have urged a return to the original route to avoid rekindling the controversy. The project’s course is also expected to be influenced by the results of the 2026 local elections.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.