Locals victimized by both political parties

Controversy is being fueled after Land Minister Won Hee-ryong declared he would stop the planned construction of a highway between Seoul and Yangpyeong County, Gyeonggi. Over the drastic decision to suspend the highway construction after controversy arose over the Land Ministry’s plan to change the route, Won said Friday that he had made the decision on his own without discussing with President Yoon Suk Yeol. The minister said he staked his job as land minister on the issue. A day earlier, he made the shocking announcement after the Democratic Party (DP) raised the doubt that the ministry had changed the route to consider the land owned by the family of first lady Kim Kun-hee near the final destination.

The construction of the highway has long been the wish of the residents in the county. Once built, the commuting hours between Seoul and Yangpyeong will be cut to 15 minutes from two hours. The residents had high expectations for the construction as the new highway can ease a chromic traffic jam every weekend and help boost the local economy. But after their hope was suddenly dashed, they are utterly frustrated.

The focus of the contention is on whether the government’s plan to change the final destination of the highway to Gangsang-myeon, which is close to the land of the first lady’s family. After the government announced the new route in May, the DP already raised the suspicion. The Land Ministry explained that the relocation of the final destination of the highway would not affect the price of the family’s land — about 500 meters (1,640 feet) from the new destination — as it is just a junction, not an interchange. But the DP claimed that the new final destination is still close to the South Yangpyeong Interchange nearby.

However, the local residents claim that a junction can lower land price due to complaints about the noise and dust. The DP had also demanded an alternative route to the original plan. The governing People Power Party (PPP) pointed out that the Yangpyeong County head and the council chairman, both DP members, also promised to build an interchange in the county two years ago.

Even though the DP’s raising of the suspicion went overboard, the act of the land minister abruptly scrapping a construction plan costing 1.8 trillion won ($1.4 billion) doesn’t make sense, either. The minister’s remarks that he would stop the construction rather than suffering from endless suspicions cannot avoid public criticism for a “political decision.” Instead, the decision may trigger more suspicions behind his about-turn. The construction is directly linked to the livelihoods of the people in the county and the Seoul metropolitan area. Political circles must stop partisan calculations immediately and the government must come up with the best possible construction plan.