NAMYANGJU — Namyangju, a city in Gyeonggi Province, is stepping up cooperation with the central government to ease traffic pressures from large-scale development projects including third-phase new towns and to position itself as a key hub in the northeastern part of the greater Seoul area.
Mayor Choi Hyun-duk met with Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Hong Ji-sun on the 14th at the National Land Development Exhibition Hall, joined by Rep. Choi Min-hee of the Democratic Party of Korea, who represents Namyangju-A, the city said on the 15th. The two sides discussed local priorities in depth, including expanding the metropolitan transport network, improving urban infrastructure and easing regulations.
"As the third-phase new towns and new public housing sites move ahead, rail, road and other key infrastructure must be in place on time," Choi said. "The principle of transit first, move-in later — aligning the opening of transport links with the timing of occupancy — must be upheld."
On rail, Choi asked that the GTX-D, E, F and G lines of the Great Train Express network be reflected in the fifth national rail network plan, and that extensions of the Songpa-Hanam Line, Subway Line 6 and Subway Line 8, known as the Byeollae Line, be included in the fifth metropolitan transport implementation plan. He pressed in particular for the central government to take up a project linking the Gyeongchun Line directly with the Suin-Bundang Line, which would ease transfer congestion at Cheongnyangni Station and sharply improve access to southern Gyeonggi Province and Incheon.
Choi also set out road projects. They include widening Suseok Bridge to six lanes and connecting it directly to the Seondong interchange, building new interchanges at the Geumgok industrial complex and Wolmun-ri on the Jungbu connecting expressway, and reflecting a plan to put Gangbyeonbuk-ro underground in metropolitan transport improvement measures.
The city expects that securing these road links would not only improve access into Seoul but also meaningfully strengthen logistics competitiveness for its industrial complexes and spread traffic volumes within the city.
Regulatory changes to support urban development and housing supply were also on the agenda. Choi said relocating and consolidating the Jingeon public sewage treatment facility is essential to lay the groundwork for housing supply in the Wangsuk district and to improve the residential environment. He also raised difficulties on the ground, including easing rules on small clustered settlements within the greenbelt and improving the district unit planning system, and asked for active government support.
"Namyangju is being transformed into a core growth axis in the northeastern part of the greater Seoul area as large-scale public housing supply moves forward," Choi said. "We will work closely with the government and the National Assembly and do everything we can to ensure the projects we have proposed are reflected in national and metropolitan transport plans without setbacks."