Kim Hak-yeop, Incheon Seo-gu Council Member: "Delay in Direct Connection of Seoul Line 9, Residents' Pain at a Breaking Point... Active Administration Must Be Pursued"

Kim Hak-yeop, a member of the Incheon Seo-gu Council (People Power Party, Geomam-gyeongseo & Yeonhui-dong), strongly criticized the prolonged delay of the direct connection project between Seoul Subway Line 9 and the Airport Railroad, urging a proactive attitude change from Incheon City, Seoul City, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

During the major work report at the 278th temporary session held on the 3rd, Council Member Kim pointed out the inconveniences faced by residents due to the delay in the direct connection of Line 9, the efficiency of audit administration, and regional promotion measures due to district separation.

In the policy planning work report, Kim stated, "It has been 15 years since the direct connection project of Line 9 was discussed, and despite the completion of infrastructure such as Yeongjong Station, it is still delayed," adding, "It was expected that train orders would be placed last year, but there has been no progress yet."

He continued, "Since the suspension of KTX service at Geomam Station, residents have been relying solely on the Airport Railroad, and during peak commuting hours, the congestion is so severe that trains need to be sent multiple times," urging, "Do not get caught up only in the benefit-cost (BC) ratio, but work with the political sector to expedite the project."

Regarding audit administration, he emphasized the importance of 'prevention.' Council Member Kim mentioned the audit results of the Dong Administrative Welfare Center, stating, "The repetition of the same types of issues is due to the focus on post-event audits," and suggested, "The overall departments by field should lead and strengthen job training to prevent administrative errors in advance."

Additionally, regarding the surge in civil complaints at the time of the 2024 Geomdan New Town occupancy, which has recently shown a decreasing trend, he urged the provision of customized administrative services through civil complaint data analysis.

He also made suggestions for 'enhancing brand value' related to the planned district separation of Seo-gu and Geomdan-gu in July. In the inquiry on promotional policies, Kim stated, "Although Seo-gu and Geomdan-gu will be separated, a promotional system that can create mutual synergy is necessary," and proposed, "Let’s install large LED billboards in high-traffic areas such as Geomdan Intersection and Ara-dong to promote policies and enhance the value of the district."

In response, a district official stated, "The installation of large billboards requires review of relevant laws and regulations, but since it is under consideration as per the mayor's directive, we will prepare an efficient promotional plan."