Yanggu County Secures 70% National Funding for ‘East-West High-Speed Railway Yongha–Yachon Bridge Project’, Fulfilling Longtime Goal

57.4 Billion Won in Government Funding Secured
Concerns Over Village Division and Farmland Inconvenience by Embankment Resolved
Yanggu County Achieves Breakthrough After All-Out Effort Against Full Cost Burden

The government has finalized its decision to provide 70% of the funding from the national budget for the bridge construction project in the Yongha–Yachon section of Yanggu County, which was the most contentious issue in the construction of the Chuncheon–Sokcho East-West High-Speed Railway. The issue, which had been at risk of stalling due to the region’s poor fiscal conditions, is now seen as having been overcome through the combined efforts of the local government and community.

Yangu County Office building.

The Yanggu County Office in Gangwon Province announced on September 29 that the Ministry of Economy and Budget had granted final approval to provide 5.74 billion won—representing 70% of the total project cost of 8.2 billion won—for the 355-meter bridge section between Yonghari and Yachonri on the fourth construction lot of the East-West High-Speed Railway. As a result, Yanggu County will be able to push the project forward without delays, significantly easing what would otherwise have been a multi-billion-won burden on the local government's finances.

The section in question was originally planned to use an embankment method, building up the earth to form a dike. However, this would have split the village in two via the railway line, worsening residential conditions, increasing inconvenience in accessing farmland, and infringing on residents' right to a scenic view—all of which predicted serious damage to the community. From the very beginning, local residents had persistently demanded the project be changed to a bridge.

Finally, in August of last year, a mediation meeting was held on-site by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, resulting in an agreement to build a bridge across the entire section. However, new obstacles soon appeared: the government insisted on the “polluter pays principle,” arguing that all additional costs—which amounted to 8.2 billion won—should be covered entirely by Yanggu County because the design change was at the request of the local government.

This put the financially strapped Yanggu County in a difficult position, but the county government continued to argue that a 70%–30% split between national and local government was an essential measure to mitigate resident damage caused by a national project.

In particular, since his inauguration, Yanggu County Mayor Kim Wangkyu has been intensely lobbying the National Assembly, the Ministry of Economy and Budget, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, and other relevant ministries, emphasizing both the necessity of switching to a bridge and the need to reduce the strain on local finances. The district's National Assembly member and local residents also raised their voices in unison, ultimately bringing about a change in the government’s stance.

Mayor Kim Wangkyu said, "This result—securing 70% of the funding from the national budget—is due to the earnest wishes of the residents and the tenacious persuasion of Yanggu County. Going forward, we will devote all our efforts so that the high-speed railway construction advances without setbacks, minimizing any inconvenience to residents and providing a new turning point for the development of Yanggu."

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