Province urges inclusion of Daegu-Changwon, Sacheon aerospace lines

Deputy Governor Choi Man-rim calls rail 'preemptive investment against regional extinction'

South Gyeongsang Province Deputy Governor for Innovation and Growth Choi Man-rim urges the inclusion of new rail lines in the province at a public hearing on the Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan held Friday at the Korea Specialty Contractors Association building in Seoul. [South Gyeongsang Province]
South Gyeongsang Province Deputy Governor for Innovation and Growth Choi Man-rim urges the inclusion of new rail lines in the province at a public hearing on the Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan held Friday at the Korea Specialty Contractors Association building in Seoul. [South Gyeongsang Province]

South Gyeongsang Province has formally asked the government to include key rail lines in the Fifth National Railway Network Construction Plan (2026–2035), which will serve as the backbone of national rail policy for the next decade.

At a public hearing hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and organized by the Korea Transport Institute on Friday at the Korea Specialty Contractors Association building in Seoul, the province urged the government to incorporate 11 proposed routes totaling 788.64 kilometers and 27.39 trillion won ($20.6 billion) in total project costs.

Deputy Governor for Innovation and Growth Choi Man-rim presented the case for expanding the rail network through video and a formal presentation. The province said the proposed lines are directly tied to three strategic priorities: developing a hub for Arctic shipping routes, building a space and aerospace center in Sacheon, and completing the national "Five Poles, Three Specials" regional balanced development megaproject.

The province also argued that the standard cost-benefit ratio should not be the sole criterion for evaluation, releasing interview footage featuring workers at the Changwon national industrial complex, residents of the old downtown area of Jinhae, and young people in the aerospace sector in Sacheon to convey the need for improved regional transport access.

The key proposed routes focus on logistics, advanced industries and countering regional depopulation. The province identified two lines as central to securing a base for Arctic shipping routes: the Dong-Daegu–Changwon–Gadeokdo New Airport High-Speed Railway (Dong-Daegu to Changwon Central, 84.65 km, 2.93 trillion won), which would link Jinhae New Port with Gadeokdo New Airport, and the CTX-Jinhae Line (Changwon Central to Gadeokdo New Airport, 38.17 km, 1.67 trillion won).

The province also made the case for the Sacheon Space and Aerospace Line (Jinju to Samcheonpo, 27.38 km, 1.1 trillion won) to develop the Sacheon-Jinju area into a space and aerospace industry hub. The Daejeon–Namhae Line (203.26 km, 5.62 trillion won), connecting Daejeon, Okcheon and Muju with Hamyang, Sancheong, Hadong and Namhae, was presented as a route to revitalize depopulation-risk areas in western South Gyeongsang Province and build a southern coastal tourism belt.

The remaining lines on the proposal list include the Hapcheon-Masan Line, the CTX-Changwon Line, the CTX-Masan Line, the Nakdonggang Cross-River Railway between Gimhae and Yangsan, the Geoje–Gadeokdo New Airport connector, the Jeonju–Ulsan Line and the Daesong Industrial Complex Line.

"Rail is a preemptive investment that prevents regional extinction," Choi said, urging the government to include the proposed routes to ensure the success of the Five Poles, Three Specials initiative. The province said it plans to continue consultations with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the National Assembly until the plan is officially announced.


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