Democratic Candidates Unite to Push Suinbundang Line Extension to Cheongnyangni

Choi Dong-min, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for Dongdaemun-gu district chief, signed the "Greater Seoul Northeastern Rail Connectivity Efficiency Policy Agreement" on May 29.

Jungnang-gu District Chief Ryu Gyeong-gi, Guri mayoral candidate Shin Dong-hwa and Namyangju mayoral candidate Choi Hyeon-deok also took part in the signing, which was organized by the office of National Assembly member Kim Byeong-ju and supported by the Suinbundang Line Promotion Committee.

The agreement marks the first official joint declaration by Democratic Party candidates for local government posts in northeastern Greater Seoul to collectively take responsibility for a regional transportation vision that crosses administrative boundaries. It presents a new metropolitan governance model in which the candidates have bundled the northeastern rail and transit agenda — previously pursued piecemeal by individual jurisdictions — into a single policy package.

Dongdaemun at the Heart of Northeastern Greater Seoul Transit

Dongdaemun-gu sits at the center of the agreement. Cheongnyangni Station already serves as the largest regional transit hub in northeastern Greater Seoul, intersecting the GTX-B, GTX-C, Jungang Line, Gyeongchun Line and Gyeongui-Jungang Line — and the Suinbundang Line extension would add yet another connection. The project is directly tied to Choi's flagship campaign pledge to develop a high-density business district in Jeonnong and Cheongnyangni as Seoul's fourth city center. The vision holds that expanded transport infrastructure will generate policy synergies by revitalizing local commercial areas and improving residential conditions.

Five Joint Priorities

The signatories will move forward together on five priorities: expanding Suinbundang Line service with an extension to Cheongnyangni, pursuing a direct connection between the Gyeongchun Line and the Suinbundang Line, building a new single-track light rail line between Wangsimni and Cheongnyangni, holding joint consultations with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the National Railway Network Authority and Korail, and mounting a coordinated response among local government candidates to guarantee transit rights for residents of northeastern Greater Seoul.

"Today's agreement is a gathering of Democratic Party local government candidates from Dongdaemun, Jungnang and Namyangju to work together on improving the rail network and transit efficiency — issues of shared concern for residents of northeastern Greater Seoul," Choi said. "By building a joint response framework rather than each area speaking up individually, we have raised the likelihood of policy implementation and strengthened our ability to influence decision-making by the central government and relevant agencies."

He added that "transportation is connectivity, and connectivity is the vitality of a city," explaining that reviving regional accessibility centered on Cheongnyangni would breathe new life into neighborhood commercial districts and traditional markets across Dongdaemun-gu. "Dongdaemun will no longer be a city people pass through," Choi said. "It will become the transportation heart of northeastern Greater Seoul, linking residents of Namyangju, Guri and Jungnang with Gangnam, Suwon and Incheon."