Seocho-gu in Seoul announced that airport bus line 6703 will begin serving the Jamwon and Banpo areas starting Sept. 1, running directly to Incheon Airport.
Until now, parts of Jamwon and Banpo had no direct airport bus service, forcing residents to transfer multiple times by subway or local bus to reach Incheon Airport.
The route adjustment adds four new stops — Sindong Middle School, Jamwon Catholic Church·Acro River View Apartments, NewCore Outlet and Banpo General Stadium — all with direct service to Incheon Airport. The change reroutes the bus through Jamwon and Banpo instead of proceeding directly onto the Olympic Expressway as before.
The adjustment was driven by growing transportation demand in the area, where active reconstruction projects have brought a steady influx of new residents to Jamwon and Banpo.
In March, the district canvassed residents of Banpo 2-dong, Banpo 3-dong and Jamwon-dong on the proposed route change. Of 976 respondents, 969 — or 99.3 percent — expressed support, confirming strong public interest in and demand for the adjustment.
The district then consulted local educational institutions, coordinated stop locations with the bus operator, and secured approval from the Seoul Metropolitan Government to amend the passenger transport service plan. Seoul attached a condition requiring the operator to exercise extra caution in areas with heavy pedestrian traffic, given that Sindong Elementary School and Sindong Middle School are located along the newly added stretch.
Under the revised route, line 6703 will continue to serve its existing Gangnam-area stops before proceeding to Sindong Middle School (stop 22-181), Jamwon Catholic Church·Acro River View Apartments (stop 22-205), NewCore Outlet (stop 22-207) and Banpo General Stadium (stop 22-861) on its way to Incheon Airport. The total route distance increases from 168 kilometers to 170 kilometers, and the number of stops rises from 20 to 24. The fleet size of seven buses, headway of 45 to 60 minutes, and first and last departure times remain unchanged.
A resident who has lived in Jamwon-dong for more than 20 years said the change was welcome. "Every time I went to the airport, I had to lug my bags through multiple subway or bus transfers, which was a real hassle," the resident said. "Now I can get to Incheon Airport in one go from near my home, which will be much more convenient."
Seocho-gu District Mayor Jeon Seong-su said the route adjustment was the result of sustained coordination with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the bus operator to address the shifting transportation needs of a Jamwon and Banpo neighborhood transformed by reconstruction. "Going forward, we will continue to monitor changing local conditions and residents' transportation needs closely, and keep improving transit services in ways that people can actually feel," he said.
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