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Lee heralds 'transformation of nation' as railway project connecting South, North Gyeongsang breaks ground

Published: 06 Feb. 2026, 16:31 Updated: 06 Feb. 2026, 18:37

President Lee Jae Myung delivers a commemorative address at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Southern Inland Railway near Gyeonnaeryang in Geoje, South Gyeongsang, on Feb. 6. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Lee Jae Myung on Friday described the Southern Inland Railway project linking Geoje and Goseong in South Gyeongsang with Gimcheon in North Gyeongsang as “not simply a project to lay a single rail line but the beginning of a major transformation of the nation’s territory that will create new growth engines for regions.”

Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony in Geoje, Lee said, “Today will be remembered in history as one that opened the door to locally led growth, moving beyond capital-area-centered growth that has reached its limits.”

The Southern Inland Railway is a large-scale high-speed rail project set to open in 2030. Once completed, the time that it takes to travel from Seoul to Geoje and vice versa is expected to shrink to approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes from the current roughly four-hour range. The project has long been seen as a major wish for the region.

“This railway was launched as the ‘Gimsam Line’ [Gimcheon–Sampo Line] in 1966 [...] but it has been stalled for nearly 60 years, as it lacked economic feasibility,” Lee said. “As a result of it being halted because it wasn’t profitable, the region has had to bear an enormous burden.

He then addressed the fact that the project’s completion has long been a major wish for the region: “Residents had to spend long hours on the road whenever they traveled outside the area, and young people had to leave [...] in search of jobs. The hardship of not having a single train station ultimately led to a crisis bordering on regional extinction.”

“You have waited a very long time,” he continued. “This railway will connect the capital area to Geoje in just over two hours and make many parts of North and South Gyeongsang reachable within half a day.”

The president outlined how “the aerospace industries in Jinju and Sacheon and the shipbuilding and offshore industries in Geoje will meet inland logistics hubs to boost their competitiveness.” In addition, “industrial complexes will be built across the regions the railway passes through, turning them into vibrant cities that young people will return to. All of the benefits will go back to residents.”

President Lee Jae Myung, center, takes part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Southern Inland Railway near Gyeonnaeryang in Geoje, South Gyeongsang, on Feb. 6. [NEWS1]

“The single-center system has clearly reached its limits,” Lee added, stressing the need for balanced national development.

“Korea has used an ‘all-in’ strategy that concentrated resources and opportunities on the capital area, [where] certain conglomerates and certain social groups [call home], and though it is true that this has achieved some results through a trickle-down effect, now everything is being drawn into the capital area.”

He listed a few “serious inefficiencies” of the strategy.

“Home prices in Seoul have surged to the point where it has become unlivable, and regions are facing extinction,” the president said. “Balanced growth must now be adopted as Korea’s survival strategy.”

Regarding the specific region, Lee said, “This is where Gyeonnaeryang is located. Where Adm. Yi Sun-shin led Korea to victory in the Battle of Hansan Island. If the Gyeonnaeryang of the past was the front line that defended the nation, then the Gyeonnaeryang of today will become the starting point for Korea to leap forward again through balanced development.”

“I will offer full support so that today [...] leads to a new path for a major transformation of Korea’s territory,” he added. “The farther a region is from the capital area, the heavier and bolder the support will be, and we will achieve a major shift to a ‘five hubs and three special zones’ system by any means.

“Above all, what matters most is safety at the site. Please strictly follow safety rules throughout construction and do not spare investment in safety so that not a single accident occurs and not a single worker suffers an industrial accident.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]