The core of the suspicion of preferential treatment for the Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway raised by the Democratic Party of Korea is that the government changed the end point of the previously planned expressway route to the land owned by the first lady Kim Kun-hee’s family. The Democratic Party claims that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport changed its plan to a route with less feasibility without the consent of residents in order to give preferential treatment to the Kim family. On the other hand, the government was only proceeding with the process of collecting opinions to change the route in consideration of environmental impact assessment, etc., but it was not in the final stage, and it is the position that Mrs. Kim’s land was not known in advance. In the end, the government and the ruling party announced the cancellation of the expressway plan on the 6th, judging that “no matter what explanations are given, they will only incite the demonization of Mrs. Kim by tripping over her.”
Did the route change without the knowledge of local residents because of Mrs. Kim?
The Seoul-Yangpyeong Expressway, which had been under construction since 2017, went through a preliminary feasibility study in May 2021 and ended at Yangseo-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun until the announcement of the expressway construction plan in February 2022. However, with the announcement of the strategic environmental impact assessment in May 2023, the Democratic Party claims that the end point has been changed to the Gangsang-myeon area, which is close to the land of Mrs. Kim Kun-hee’s family. The Democratic Party raised suspicion that there was no consultation process with related organizations and residents in this process.
The power of the people and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport are in the position of “absurd claims.” In the first place, it was Yangpyeong-gun메이저놀이터 that suggested the alternative route. The government and the party had a consultation on the 6th and said, “Yangpyeong-gun proposed three alternative routes to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in July of last year, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is reviewing the optimal alternative route after a comprehensive review of the environmental characteristics, transportation demand, and economic feasibility of the routes.” At the same time, he said, “A briefing session for residents on the alternative route was also planned for July 5, but it has been suspended due to suspicions raised by the Democratic Party.” It is explained that the alternative route was not confirmed, but was in the process of collecting opinions.
Is it impossible to change the route after the preliminary exam?
The Democratic Party raises suspicions of preferential treatment, saying that there is no case where the planned highway end point (Yangseo-myeon) was changed (Gangsang-myeon) in the preliminary stage. However, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said, “Since 2010, there have been four out of eight cases where the start and end sections of highways have been finally changed.” According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the alternative route only needs to cross the Han River once, but the existing route has to cross the Han River twice, so there is a higher possibility of environmental damage to migratory bird habitats.
A budget surge of 100 billion won due to a route change?
The Democratic Party claims that the project cost increased by 100 billion won as the route was changed to the land area of Mrs. Kim Kun-hee. However, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs refuted this, saying, “The increase in the budget is only an increase of 0.8% (14 billion won) of the total project cost.” The Democratic Party also said, “With the changed route, there is no effect of road construction in the first place to relieve traffic congestion.” The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said, “The predicted daily traffic volume of the existing route (Yangseo-myeon) that passed through Yeta was 15,800, but the alternative route (Gangsang-myeon) was 22,300, which was 6,500 more.”
Mrs. Kim’s land price rise?
The Democratic Party also argued that if the end of the expressway is changed from the original planned route, preferential treatment is expected in the price of land owned by the first lady Kim family. Rep. Kim Jeong-jae, secretary of the National Land and Infrastructure Committee of the National Assembly, said, “The end point of the alternative is only a junction ( JCT ) where access to and from the highway is impossible, so there is little impact on the rise in land prices, and on the contrary, restrictions on land use arise due to noise and smoke.” did.
However, some analyze that an alternative route to the existing route could affect the price of land owned by the first lady Kim family. In the first place, to go to Seoul from Gangsang – myeon , where Mrs. Kim’s land was located, you had to take local road No. 88. He said he could come in 20 minutes.
☞ IC and JCT
IC ( Interchange · Interchange) is a place that connects general national roads and local roads with expressways, and serves as an entrance to expressways. On the other hand, JCT ( Junction/ Junction) is a place that only serves to connect expressways, and there is no entrance to the general national road.