Gyeongnam team tackles two long-delayed projects: Bujeon-Masan rail line, Pusan National University Yangsan site

The "Gyeongnam Great Leap Preparation Team," which is drawing up the blueprint for the 9th elected South Gyeongsang Province administration, visited two long-stalled project sites Wednesday — the Bujeon-Masan double-track railway and the idle land at Pusan National University's Yangsan campus — to seek solutions to the region's most persistent infrastructure challenges.

The team toured the Yangsan campus and Busan's Sasang Station in succession, receiving briefings from relevant agencies on project progress and discussing action plans tied to the incoming administration's policy agenda. The site inspections were organized to identify problems and explore workable alternatives with stakeholders on key issues among Governor-elect Park Wan-su's major campaign pledges that require urgent resolution.

The most closely watched site was the Bujeon-Masan double-track railway, whose opening has been delayed for years following a ground subsidence accident in 2020. The line is a central pillar of the southeastern metropolitan rail network, linking Busan, Gimhae and Changwon. Repairs to the accident section have dragged on, pushing back the opening of the entire route and prolonging inconvenience for residents.

The preparation team and relevant departments are in talks with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport over a "partial opening" plan that would begin service on sections of the line excluding the underwater Nakdong River crossing where the accident occurred. The partial opening would operate all sections except the underwater stretch between Busan's Gangseo-gu and Sasang Station. The aim is to reduce inconvenience for residents by opening serviceable sections rather than waiting for the full line to be completed.

The ministry has set the first half of 2027 as its target for opening the entire line. Safety verification results for the alternative construction method to be used in repairing the accident section remain the key variable determining the actual opening date. The preparation team said it would closely monitor the safety verification and repair schedule while actively pursuing the partial opening so residents can use the railway before the full line is ready.

The team then visited the idle land at Pusan National University's Yangsan campus, a long-running local grievance that has sat unused for nearly two decades. Discussions at the site focused on the progress of Yangsan City's "space innovation zone pilot project," the direction of future development and outstanding coordination issues among the agencies involved.

The central sticking point is the cost of acquiring the land. Pusan National University, which owns the site, and Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH), widely regarded as the most suitable developer, remain at odds over the price and terms of the purchase. Without an agreement on acquisition costs, the selection of a project operator and the drawing up of a concrete development plan will inevitably be delayed. South Gyeongsang Province is leading consultations among the relevant agencies — including Pusan National University, Yangsan City and LH — and working to broker a compromise.

The Gyeongnam Great Leap Preparation Team, which launched earlier this month, will continue its site inspections and agency consultations through the end of June. If necessary, it plans to extend its mandate to finalize the implementation plans for the 9th elected administration's major campaign pledges.