At a press conference held in the North Jeolla Special Self-Governing Province Council briefing room, Lee explained, “The Gyeongbu Line operates 115 high-speed trains on weekdays and 136 on weekends. In contrast, the Honam Line runs only 69 on weekdays and 71 on weekends, which is roughly half the service.”
He further highlighted the disparity, stating, “On weekends, the Gyeongbu Line allocates 170,700 seats daily, while the Honam Line barely offers 40,000 seats. This four-fold difference is so stark that it’s almost embarrassing to call the Honam Line a high-speed rail service.”
Lee also pointed out differences in train capacity and frequency. “The Gyeongbu Line primarily uses large high-speed trains with over 900 seats. Meanwhile, the Honam axis, including the Jeolla Line, mostly operates smaller trains with around 400 seats,” he said. “Moreover, the service intervals differ significantly, with Gyeongbu Line trains running every 10 to 20 minutes.”
He predicted, “If we increase service on the Honam Line, it will naturally lead to an expansion of Jeolla Line trains that separate and reconnect in Iksan.”
Lee emphasized the broader implications of this transportation inequality. “Areas with inconvenient transportation, where opportunities to buy tickets and chances of getting a seat are limited from the start, ultimately see people leaving,” he said. “I promise to work hard to elevate transportation to the level of a national priority for North Jeolla, on par with job creation and new industry development.”
Reporter Baek Se-jong
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