Seo-haegu district mayor, city and district officials hold on-site meeting

Unbuilt 1.38 km stretch at center of discussions

Two-track approach proposed, combining public funding and military negotiations

Rep. Kim Gyo-heung holds a strategy meeting Tuesday at the Jangogaegil road construction site in Gajwa-dong, Seo-haegu, Incheon. [Provided by Rep. Kim Gyo-heung's office]
Rep. Kim Gyo-heung holds a strategy meeting Tuesday at the Jangogaegil road construction site in Gajwa-dong, Seo-haegu, Incheon. [Provided by Rep. Kim Gyo-heung's office]

On the first day of Incheon's newly established Seo-haegu district, officials gathered at the site of the long-stalled Jangogaegil road project — one of the area's most pressing unresolved issues — to begin working toward a solution.

Rep. Kim Gyo-heung of the Democratic Party of Korea, who represents Incheon's Seo-haegu-gap constituency, visited the Jangogaegil project site in Gajwa-dong on Tuesday and convened a joint strategy meeting among relevant agencies to discuss ways to accelerate the road's completion.

The meeting was attended by Gu Jae-yong, inaugurated as Seo-haegu district mayor that day, along with city and district council members and civil servants from Incheon city and Seo-haegu. Participants reviewed the project's progress and discussed the path forward.

The Jangogaegil project aims to build a major road connecting Gajwa-dong with Sancok-dong in Bupyeong. About 1.38 kilometers of the route remain unbuilt.

The project has been pursued through a "donation-and-transfer" arrangement tied to the relocation of a military base, but private sector interest has been difficult to attract due to concerns about commercial viability, leaving the project stalled for years.

At the site Tuesday, Kim said the existing approach had reached its limits and that a new strategy was needed.

"Waiting for private developers to step in has not solved a problem that has gone unresolved for 40 years," Kim said. "We need to shift toward a direction where the public sector demonstrates its commitment to moving the project forward first."

He said the government must stop waiting for the results of private-sector bids and commissioned studies, and proposed a two-track approach that would pursue public funding and interagency negotiations simultaneously.

Kim's proposal centers on proactive compensation for select sections of the route and laying the groundwork for project execution. He said authorities should consider purchasing privately owned land along key stretches first to build momentum.

He also said existing plans related to the military base should be revisited to find realistic alternatives, including scaling back costly facility requirements the military has demanded and identifying substitute traffic management solutions to improve the project's overall viability.

"What residents want is not more reviews — they want a concrete schedule and an action plan," Kim said. "I will work with Incheon city, the Ministry of National Defense and other relevant agencies to produce a real solution."

Gu, the newly inaugurated district mayor, pledged his support. "The fact that we are visiting the most urgent local site on Seo-haegu's very first day shows our commitment," he said. "We will focus the district's full administrative capacity on resolving the Jangogaegil issue and actively support coordination with Incheon city and other agencies."

The Jangogaegil road is considered a key priority not only for improving transport links between Seo-haegu and the Bupyeong area, but also for promoting balanced regional development and greater convenience for residents.

With Seo-haegu's launch ushering in a new administrative framework, attention is now focused on whether the long-delayed project will finally move into concrete action.


gilbert@heraldcorp.com