Fate of Gyeonggi International Airport and Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railroad in Focus at Gyeonggi Province National Audit
Major transportation infrastructure projects in Gyeonggi Province, including the Gyeonggi International Airport and the Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railroad, are drawing attention ahead of the state audit. Particular interest has focused on how related issues will be handled, as Rep. Yeom Tae-young of the Democratic Party (Suwon District), who previously promoted the construction of Gyeonggi International Airport as vice governor for economy, is participating as an audit committee member of the National Assembly Transportation Committee.
According to the National Assembly and Gyeonggi Province on October 19, the National Assembly Transportation Committee will conduct a state audit on the province that day. The audit is expected to examine the progress of major projects intertwined with government policies and national plans, including the Gyeonggi International Airport, the Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railroad, the Seoul Metropolitan Area Rapid Transit (GTX), and new city development.
Among these, the Gyeonggi International Airport is a project closely linked to Rep. Yeom.
Rep. Yeom served as vice governor for economy of Gyeonggi Province from August 2022 to December 2023, promoting the construction of Gyeonggi International Airport, which was a key campaign pledge of then-Governor Kim Dong-yeon.
The province established a Gyeonggi International Airport Promotion Task Force and enacted related ordinances to lay the groundwork for project promotion. The task force was organized as a direct subordinate organization under the vice governor for economy.
Rep. Yeom also attended a forum on Gyeonggi International Airport construction held at the National Assembly in December 2023 during his tenure as vice governor for economy, emphasizing the necessity of the project. The province presented a plan to develop the Gyeonggi International Airport as an aviation logistics hub for advanced industries in southern Gyeonggi, such as semiconductors.
However, the Gyeonggi International Airport still faces challenges in selecting candidate sites and reflecting the project in national plans.
The province examined three preliminary candidate sites—Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek, and Icheon—but encountered setbacks in subsequent procedures due to controversy over the fairness of related research projects and their suspension. Whether the project will be reflected in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's 7th Comprehensive Airport Development Plan is also a key variable in project promotion.
During the province's state audit last October, Rep. Yeom urged the province to develop the Gyeonggi International Airport as a logistics hub airport for the semiconductor and IT industries and to make efforts for its inclusion in national plans.
As Rep. Yeom will be reviewing as a member of the National Assembly a project he promoted during his tenure as vice governor for economy, attention is focused on what questions may be raised regarding the causes of project delays and the province's future response measures.
The Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railroad is also an issue that Rep. Yeom has consistently raised the need for in the National Assembly.
The Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railroad is a metropolitan railroad project connecting from Jamsil in Seoul through Seongnam, Yongin, and Suwon to Bongdam in Hwaseong. It is being jointly promoted by four local governments—Seongnam, Yongin, Suwon, and Hwaseong—and has requested its reflection in the 5th National Railroad Network Construction Plan.
During the confirmation hearing for Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister nominee Kim Yun-deok in July last year, Rep. Yeom urged the inclusion of the Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railroad in the national railroad network. He also demanded cost realization and prompt normalization of project progress regarding the GTX-C project.
The Gyeonggi Southern Metropolitan Railroad is being promoted by local governments based on results of their own feasibility studies, but it can only proceed to actual construction after its reflection in national plans and subsequent procedures.
GTX-C, having entered the construction phase after prolonged project delays, is expected to undergo inspection regarding construction management, project costs, and opening schedules.
Additionally, there are numerous pending issues requiring cooperation between the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Gyeonggi Province, including housing supply in the third-phase new cities, metropolitan transportation measures, reorganization of the first-phase new cities, and development of transportation networks for the Yongin semiconductor national industrial complex.
In particular, Rep. Yeom and other members of the National Assembly from Gyeonggi Province's districts are participating in this audit as committee members. Given that regional constituency issues and the province's overall transportation and housing policies are intertwined, attention is focused on whether questions about project achievements and responses for reflecting projects in national plans will follow.