Journalist

Yoon Joong Kook
  • Incheon Mayor Yoo Jung-bok Rejects Lawmaker’s Criticism Over Incheon KTX Delays
    Incheon Mayor Yoo Jung-bok Rejects Lawmaker’s Criticism Over Incheon KTX Delays Incheon Mayor Yoo Jung-bok on April 21 pushed back against criticism from Rep. Park Chan-dae over delays to the Incheon KTX project. After Park raised the delay issue in a morning post on social media, Yoo responded in his own post following an inspection at Songdo Station. The Incheon KTX project is being pursued with a target opening in December 2026, and overall progress — including expansion work at Songdo Station — stands at about 71%. Yoo wrote that he had held back from talking about the project because it was “my biggest achievement,” but said Park’s mention of it gave him an opening to ask: “First, who came up with the Incheon KTX and who has pushed it forward; second, what role did the Democratic Party and Rep. Park play; and third, who interfered and delayed the Incheon KTX?” Yoo said he made the Incheon KTX his top campaign pledge when he ran for mayor in 2014, and that the project was pushed quickly with a 2021 opening target. He added that the transport minister at the time officially announced the opening would proceed without setbacks, and said he put the project “back on track” after returning as mayor in 2022. Yoo focused his criticism on the 2018 transition to the city’s seventh elected administration, writing that the incoming team for then-Mayor-elect Park Nam-choon announced a delay that “turned the 2021 opening goal into nothing,” leaving Incheon residents to bear the impact. In June 2018, Park’s transition committee said it expected the earliest possible opening to slip three years, from 2021 to 2024. The project was later delayed further through changes to the implementation plan. In 2025, the project’s completion date was adjusted again to December 2026, citing a cultural heritage excavation survey and measures to relocate legally protected species. Addressing Rep. Park, Yoo wrote that the Democratic Party had “stood by” during the confusion and delays under the seventh administration, and said Park — who Yoo wrote now intends to run for mayor — was trying to damage him without understanding the full context. Yoo added that Incheon residents already know where responsibility lies for the delay, and said Park should first apologize to the public. He also accused Park of political attacks, calling them “a self-defeating move” and “an own goal.” The Incheon KTX project includes building a new 3.19-kilometer connection line linking the Suin Line and the Gyeongbu high-speed rail line, and upgrading Songdo, Choji and Eocheon stations. Incheon City said during the site inspection that it plans to complete major work, including roadbed construction, by the first half of the year, begin integrated test runs in August, and aim for an opening by year’s end. At the site, Yoo called the Incheon KTX a key transport project that would significantly improve residents’ mobility, and urged thorough management to ensure safe, disruption-free construction. The city said it views the line as a core axis of regional transportation and is also pursuing plans to extend it to Incheon International Airport and to develop a mixed-use complex around Songdo Station.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 15:51:22
  • Incheon mayor inspects Songdo Station work for Incheon-origin KTX, set to open in 2026
    Incheon mayor inspects Songdo Station work for Incheon-origin KTX, set to open in 2026 Incheon city officials on the 21st inspected construction at Songdo Station, the starting point for the Incheon-origin KTX direct-connection project. Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, city officials and representatives from the National Railroad Authority reviewed progress by major work stages, safety management and facilities being added as part of the Songdo Station expansion. The project will lay new track along a 3.19-kilometer (1.98-mile) section linking the Suin Line and the Gyeongbu high-speed line, while upgrading three stations: Songdo, Choji and Eocheon. Overall progress stands at about 71%. The National Railroad Authority plans to complete key work, including roadbed construction, by the first half of the year, begin integrated test runs in August and open the line in December 2026. The inspection was part of the city’s push to prepare for the year-end opening of the Incheon-origin KTX, one of the eighth elected administration’s core transportation pledges. Yoo called the Incheon-origin KTX “a key transportation infrastructure project that will dramatically improve residents’ mobility,” and urged thorough oversight to ensure the work proceeds safely and without delays. During a site visit to Songdo Station in July last year, Yoo said KTX service originating in Incheon was a long-held wish of residents and a turning point for transportation in the western Seoul metropolitan area, calling for tight schedule control and careful preparation so people can travel nationwide faster and more conveniently. Incheon views the project not as a single rail line but as a central pillar of broader metropolitan transportation expansion. In its major policy announcements this year for transportation, maritime and aviation, the city again listed the Incheon-origin KTX as a project targeting a 2026 opening. It also said it is seeking to have an extension to Incheon International Airport reflected in the fifth national rail network plan. At the time, the city presented the Incheon-origin KTX as part of a strategy to make nationwide travel possible within half a day, alongside the Wolgot-Pangyo double-track rail project, GTX-B, a western metropolitan express rail line and extensions of Seoul and Incheon urban rail lines. The city is also moving ahead with plans tied to development around Songdo Station. It said in December 2024 that differences between the Songdo station-area urban development project and the KTX direct-connection project had been adjusted, and it expected mixed-use development at the station to accelerate. Plans include a multi-level complex combining a transfer support facility in front of Songdo Station with parking, a park and cultural facilities. In addition to 175 existing on-street parking spaces, the city plans to add a transfer parking lot with about 150 spaces. It also outlined a plan to use an average 39-story residential-commercial complex as part of the transfer support facilities. After completing the Songdo Station expansion and opening the Incheon-origin KTX, the city said it plans to continue pushing a rail network expansion strategy that would extend service to Incheon International Airport.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 13:21:19