Gyeongsan mayor, provincial lawmakers urge North Gyeongsang governor to keep original route for Daegu Metro Line 1 extension

Gyeongsan Mayor Jo Hyeon-il met with North Gyeongsang Province Governor Lee Cheol-woo on Monday to urge the province to pursue the Daegu Metro Line 1 extension to Yeongcheon (Geumho) along the route that originally passed the preliminary feasibility study.

All provincial assembly members from Gyeongsan joined the meeting, including Lee Cheol-sik, chairman of the North Gyeongsang Provincial Assembly's agriculture and fisheries committee.

The mayor and the Gyeongsan provincial assembly members conveyed residents' concerns about a proposed alternative route that emerged during the basic plan study, saying citizens found it unacceptable. "A route change that bisects the urban center of Hayang-eup — causing noise and vibration damage, harming the cityscape and disrupting the educational environment — cannot be accepted," they said.

They particularly stressed to Governor Lee the need to honor the original feasibility-approved route, a position residents had expressed unanimously at a recent public hearing.

Governor Lee said "the foremost principle of provincial administration is to govern in a way that lets all residents of North Gyeongsang Province, including the people of Gyeongsan, live with peace of mind," and indicated he would accept the views of Gyeongsan residents.

The Gyeongsan City Council issued a statement Wednesday calling on North Gyeongsang Province to "protect the rights of Gyeongsan residents, seek a rational approach to the project, proceed with the originally approved route, and immediately withdraw the route change that disregards citizens' wishes."

The Daegu Metro Line 1 extension to Yeongcheon (Geumho) is a regional rail project spanning 5.72 kilometers — 4.36 kilometers in Gyeongsan and 1.36 kilometers in Yeongcheon — at a total cost of 267.1 billion won ($193 million), comprising 187 billion won in national funding and 80.1 billion won in local funding. The line will run from Hayang Station through the east-west intersection to the Yeongcheon (Geumho) teachers college intersection, with North Gyeongsang Province targeting a 2032 opening.