Mayor Hyunduk Choi of Namyangju Urges Ministry of Land to Prioritize Transportation over Housing in New Public Developments

Proposal for a Comprehensive Metropolitan Transportation Plan Linking Wangsuk New Town, Wabu Public Housing Sites, and Redevelopment Projects

Request for Preemptive Securing of Rail, Road, and Public Transit Infrastructure for "Transportation First, Occupancy Later"

"Population Expected to Reach 130,000... Rail, Road, and Public Transportation Networks Must Be Expanded in Advance"

Hyunduk Choi, Mayor of Namyangju City, has urged the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to implement the principle of "transportation first, occupancy later" in order to prevent traffic congestion resulting from large-scale development projects.

Namyangju Mayor Hyunduk Choi (left) met with Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Yoonduk Kim on the 21st to propose comprehensive transportation measures encompassing the new public housing sites in Namyangju city center, Wangsuk New Town, and the redevelopment projects in Wabu area. Provided by Namyangju City

Namyangju City in Gyeonggi Province announced that on the 21st, Mayor Choi, together with National Assembly member Yongmin Kim (Namyangju Byeong), met with Yoonduk Kim, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, to propose the establishment of a comprehensive metropolitan transportation plan covering new public housing sites in downtown Namyangju, the Wangsuk New Town, and redevelopment projects in the Wabu area.

This meeting followed Mayor Choi’s recent inspection of new public housing sites and redevelopment locations in Wabu-eup on August 14 as part of follow-up measures. At that time, Mayor Choi had emphasized the necessity of establishing transportation, environmental, educational, and daily infrastructure in a comprehensive manner before moving ahead with housing supply.

The government is planning to develop new public housing sites that will accommodate 21,700 households across the Deokso-ri, Dogok-ri, and Wolmun-ri areas of Wabu-eup. If the Wangsuk New Town and Wabu area redevelopment projects progress concurrently, the city estimates that the population of the Wabu area will more than double, reaching approximately 130,000 residents.

Mayor Choi explained that individual transportation plans for each project are insufficient to meet rapidly growing demand. He stressed that a comprehensive metropolitan transportation plan, viewing all of Namyangju as a single living zone, is needed. In particular, he asked for the government to incorporate the principle of securing rail, road, and public transportation infrastructure before residents move in—"transportation first, occupancy later"—as a core policy.

On this day, the city also proposed to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: ▲the early establishment of a metropolitan transportation plan; ▲the swift implementation of the third phase New Town metropolitan transportation improvement measures; ▲administrative support for the relocation and integration of public sewage treatment facilities; ▲cooperation on the construction of Suseok Bridge; and ▲institutional improvements for restoration and maintenance projects in areas damaged within green belts.

Mayor Hyunduk Choi stated, "Because new downtown public housing sites, Wangsuk New Town, and Wabu area redevelopment projects are being promoted simultaneously, individual project transportation measures alone are not sufficient," and added, "I requested that Namyangju as a whole be viewed as a single living zone and that a comprehensive plan for rail, road, and public transportation networks be put in place."

Hyunduk Choi, Mayor of Namyangju (second from right), along with Yongmin Kim, National Assembly member (Namyangju B), met with Yoonduk Kim, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, on the 21st to propose a comprehensive transportation plan covering new public housing sites in Namyangju city center, the Wangsuk New City, and the redevelopment project in Wabu area. Provided by Namyangju City

He continued, "We must move away from the model of supplying housing first and then installing transportation facilities afterward. The principle of 'transportation first, occupancy later' must be implemented on the ground," adding, "All of our efforts will be focused on ensuring that metropolitan transportation facilities are secured in a timely manner so that both existing and new residents can enjoy a convenient daily life."

Meanwhile, from the initial stages of the project, the city plans to actively gather citizen feedback and continue consultations with related agencies, such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, across transportation, environment, education, and daily social overhead capital, while continuously monitoring the progress of major issues.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.