Kim Chul-soo, Incheon Seo-gu Councillor, Questions "Is the Geomam Station Transfer Centre and Ara Waterway Project Stalled?"

Concerns have been raised that the large-scale development projects in Incheon Seo-gu, including the Geomam Station Transfer Centre and the Ara Waterway tourism belt project, are stagnating.

Kim Chul-soo, a member of the Incheon Seo-gu Council (Democratic Party, Geomam Gyeongseo and Yeonhui-dong), strongly criticized the stagnation of major strategic projects during the 278th temporary session's planning and administrative committee report held on the 3rd, urging for the financial soundness of Seo-gu ahead of the district separation and thorough administrative audits.

In a query to the strategic project team, Kim stated, "It feels like the Ara Waterway ecological and cultural tourism belt project is progressing, but now it seems to be at a standstill," questioning the effectiveness of the project. In particular, regarding the core of the Geomam Station development, the 'Transfer Centre', he pointed out, "The Incheon Urban Corporation (IH) has stated that the bidding in August will not be easy, which is a significant difference from the explanation provided by the district office."

In response, a district official explained, "We are currently undergoing supplementary procedures to properly select a contractor, reflecting on the failure of the first bidding, and the bidding will commence in August." Kim requested, "As this is a project with high expectations from residents, please report on the specific progress separately," urging for proactive management of current issues.

Concerns were also raised about the administrative audit gap ahead of the administrative system reorganization in July. Through a query to the audit office, Kim asked, "What is the reason that the comprehensive audit for the first quarter was limited to Geomam Gyeongseo-dong and Gajwa 3-dong?" and emphasized, "We must not let administrative audits be neglected due to district separation and election preparations."

He also mentioned specific audits for institutions such as the Seo-gu Welfare Foundation and the Volunteer Centre, adding, "We need to meticulously check the accounting and overall administration of these newly established institutions to enhance operational transparency."

In the budget and legal affairs sector, he highlighted the serious financial difficulties of Seo-gu and encouraged securing self-generated revenue. Kim stated, "Currently, Seo-gu is in such a difficult financial situation that we cannot even fully allocate civil servant salaries in the main budget," urging, "We must prioritise well to secure special grants from Incheon City and actively negotiate with the city at the departmental level to bring in even a penny more of the budget."