Gimpo mayor pledges no further delay to Seoul Subway Line 5 extension
In short
Gimpo Mayor Lee Ki-hyung marked 100 days in office on 6 October by naming transport as the city's top priority and saying the Seoul Subway Line 5 extension must not be delayed again. He said construction is planned for the first half of 2031 but that he would try to shorten procedures and bring the start forward, and that Gimpo would formally request additional stations during the basic plan stage. He also said Incheon Line 2's extension and the western metropolitan express railway would be pursued at the same time, with charter buses used for new housing residents before rail service opens.
Read the full story 2 min read
Gimpo Mayor Lee Ki-hyung held a press conference on 6 October marking 100 days in office and set out his administration's transport plans, saying the Seoul Subway Line 5 extension would not be delayed again, according to Yonhap, Asia Economy and Newsis. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Yonhap reported that the mayor said construction of the extension is planned for the first half of 2031, but that he would try to shorten the basic plan and construction procedures so the start and opening could come earlier. He said he would seek coordination that puts residents' interests first and would reach agreement on stabilising the route and sharing costs, to remove uncertainty over delays. In the basic plan stage, where the route and stations are fixed, he said Gimpo would formally request additional stations — Pungmu 2, Gimpo Police Station and Tongjin — noting that while such demands had been voiced, the city had never made an official request. [ 1 ]
Asia Economy reported the mayor as saying he would break ground on the extension within his term and end commuters' hardship. Newsis reported that he said he would negotiate with the central government and the Metropolitan Transport Committee to speed up licensing, and that he would pursue the Incheon Line 2 extension toward Gimpo and Goyang and the western metropolitan express railway at the same time. [ 2 , 3 ]
The mayor said the city would apply a “transport first, move-in later” approach. Because more than a year of new housing occupancy begins late next year and rail lines take a long time to open, he said the city would deploy charter buses if necessary, run buses linked to the rail network and create school bus and circular village bus routes, while building grade-separated intersections at chronically congested junctions. He also said trains would be added early to the Gimpo Gold Line, cutting headways to about two minutes. [ 1 , 2 ]
The briefing covered five broad pledges — transport, industry and jobs, livelihoods and the local economy, medical care and welfare, and living infrastructure — under three stated principles of normalising what he called abnormal practices, continuing and completing stalled projects, and preparing for a self-sufficient future. Other measures included converting ageing local manufacturers to smart factories, expanding incentives for firms hiring young residents, normalising the 700-bed Inha University medical campus project, a 24-hour linked care system, expanded free pertussis and HPV vaccinations, completion of the Janggi-dong youth complex culture centre and earlier completion of regional community centres. [ 2 , 3 ]
Presenting the first 100 days, the mayor cited expanded on-site communication through a mobile city hall, the creation of a citizen communication office and the restart of a council of elected officials. He said his promises should be judged by results rather than words. [ 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The Line 5 extension is a long-running inter-regional project whose delays have shaped commuting in Gimpo, and the mayor is now promising to accelerate procedures and press for extra stations. The documents give no cost figures, approvals or responses from the central government or other local governments, so whether the timetable or the additional stations can be secured remains open. The city is also preparing interim bus measures for residents moving into large new housing sites before any rail line opens.
Key facts
- Gimpo Mayor Lee Ki-hyung held a press conference on 6 October marking 100 days since the start of the city's ninth elected-term administration. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He said the Seoul Subway Line 5 extension would not be delayed further and that construction is planned to start in the first half of 2031. [ 1 ]
- He said he would work to shorten basic plan and construction procedures to bring the start and opening forward, and to block uncertainty over delays through coordination and agreement on route stabilization and cost sharing. [ 1 ]
- He said Gimpo would submit a formal request for additional stations — Pungmu 2, Gimpo Police Station and Tongjin — during the basic plan stage, noting no such official request had been made before. [ 1 ]
- He said the Incheon Line 2 extension and the western metropolitan express railway would be pushed forward at the same time to link the wider rail network. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He said the city would apply a “transport first, move-in later” approach, including charter buses, rail-linked buses, school buses and circular village bus routes, to serve new housing residents before rail service begins. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He also cited plans to add trains and cut headways on the Gimpo Gold Line, convert local manufacturing to smart factories, normalize the 700-bed Inha University medical campus project and expand free pertussis and HPV vaccinations. [ 2 , 3 ]
- He presented three operating principles — normalizing what he called abnormal practices, continuing and completing stalled projects, and preparing for a self-sufficient future. [ 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Lee Ki-hyung is the mayor of Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, and held a press conference on 6 October marking 100 days in office. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He said the Seoul Subway Line 5 extension should not be delayed any further and that transport is the city's priority task. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He said the Incheon Line 2 extension and the western metropolitan express railway would be pursued simultaneously. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He said the city would adopt a “transport first, move-in later” approach and use charter buses for residents of new housing before rail lines open. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He said he would seek speedy administrative and licensing procedures, including talks with the central government and the Metropolitan Transport Committee, according to Yonhap and Newsis. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Gimpo's request for additional stations on the Line 5 extension will be accepted. Only the mayor's stated intention is reported; no response from the central government or other agencies appears in the documents.
- How breaking ground within the current mayoral term relates to the stated plan to start construction in the first half of 2031. The documents report both the 2031 start plan and the aim of a first shovel within the term, but do not reconcile the two timings.
- The cost, financing split and approval schedule for the Line 5 extension. The documents mention cost-sharing talks as a goal but give no figures or agreed timetable.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap reports the mayor's pledge that the Line 5 extension will not be delayed, including the 2031 first-half construction plan and the plan to formally request additional stations. [ 1 ]
- Asia Economy reports the mayor saying he will break ground on the Line 5 extension within his term and end commuting hardship, alongside the five policy pledges. [ 2 ]
- Newsis reports the mayor saying Gimpo will resolve residents' transport problems, including talks with the central government and the Metropolitan Transport Committee to speed up licensing. [ 3 ]