Min Hyungbae: "Urban Railway Line 2 Inspection Aims for Early Opening, Not Suspension"

"Investigating Causes of Cost Increases and Delays Is Essential"
Calls for Transparent Disclosure and Accurate Communication of Meeting Contents

Min Hyungbae, Mayor of the Jeonnam Gwangju Metropolitan City, addressed the controversy surrounding a full review of Gwangju Urban Railway Line 2 by stating, "An inspection conducted to expedite the completion has escalated into concerns over a possible suspension of construction," and instructed that the contents of relevant meetings be disclosed transparently.

At the expanded executive meeting held at the Integrated Metropolitan City’s Gwangju government office on the 26th, Mayor Min said, "The burden of Urban Railway Line 2, which was previously borne by the old Gwangju city, has now shifted to the Integrated Metropolitan City," and added, "It would be more questionable not to investigate why construction costs have increased and why the construction has been delayed."

Min Hyungbae, the mayor of Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City, is explaining the purpose of the inspection for Gwangju Urban Railway Line 2 at an expanded executive meeting held at the Gwangju government office on the 26th. Screenshot from Jeonnam Gwangju TV

He continued, "The intent was to conduct an inspection in order to wrap up the project quickly and minimize inconvenience for citizens as soon as possible," and explained, "We wanted to examine which parts should be improved to expedite construction, but this led to speculation about a possible suspension of the project, causing public concern."

Mayor Min cited the lack of public disclosure of meetings as a reason for the misunderstanding regarding the purpose of the inspection.

He stated, "I had requested the public disclosure of the integrated situation review meetings, but it seems this has not been properly implemented," and instructed, "The contents discussed in these meetings must be communicated transparently and accurately to the public as much as possible."

Previously, in accordance with Mayor Min's instructions, the Jeonnam Gwangju Metropolitan City and the Urban Railway Construction Headquarters held internal meetings to investigate the reasons behind the increased construction costs and delays in progress on Urban Railway Line 2, and discussed forming a dedicated task force (TF). Amid speculation that the project could be re-examined from scratch or even suspended, the Integrated Metropolitan City clarified that it is not pursuing a full reconsideration of the project.

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