Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly member Lee Ki-hyung, a prospective candidate for Gimpo mayor, visited the Gimpo Gold Line with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on the 27th, emphasizing the need to extend Seoul Metro Line 5 to Gimpo.
"Extending Line 5 to Gimpo is not an option but a necessity," Lee said. "We must consider not only economic feasibility but also the policy imperatives of balanced development in the northwestern metropolitan area and citizen safety."
"The congestion rate on the Gimpo Gold Line is not merely a matter of inconvenience but a matter of citizen safety and the right to survival," he added. "I hope the central government will empathize with the urgency on the ground through this firsthand experience and follow through with substantive measures."
Lee previously introduced a resolution calling for an exemption from the preliminary feasibility study for extending Line 5 to Gimpo. He also served as moderator at a public forum on expediting the Line 5 extension to Gimpo.
Prime Minister Kim's visit to the Gimpo Gold Line was accompanied by Democratic Party lawmakers Park Sang-hyuk (Gimpo-eul) and Kim Joo-young (Gimpo-gap). The lawmakers raised Gimpo's overcrowded classroom problem, telling the Prime Minister: "Transportation and education issues cannot be considered separately. These problems arose together within the overcrowded new city structure, so we ask for a comprehensive review."
Prime Minister Kim responded: "Transportation and education are matters directly tied to citizens' fundamental rights. I will ensure this is discussed with relevant ministries at the Office for Government Policy Coordination level."