Policy Watch: Kim Moon-soo vows to expand GTX railways nationwide
Currently, the only line in operation is GTX-A, connecting Seoul Station to Paju, northwest of Seoul, and Suseo in Gangnam to Dongtan in Gyeonggi Province. GTX B and C are under construction.
Kim said he would construct new GTX railways -- operating at the same high speeds as the existing line -- connecting Busan to Ulsan, Daejeon to Cheongju, Andong to Pohang and Gwangju to Mokpo. That would bring the total number of metropolitan areas served by the GTX to five.
Kim also pledged to add three extra GTX lines in the Greater Seoul area, extending to the northern city of Dongducheon in Gyeonggi Province and down to Asan in South Chungcheong Province — Lines D, E, F — and complete their construction within his presidential term.
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Korea Herald
9 hours ago
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Korea Herald
12 hours ago
- Korea Herald
PM says MASGA to be framework for advanced S. Korea-US partnership
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Korea Herald
12 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Kim vows 'rapid' nuclear buildup, rebuffs Seoul's outreach
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'Comrade Kim Jong-un, while reiterating his earlier emphasis, stated that the security environment facing our state is becoming more serious with each passing day, and that the situation requires us to undertake a decisive and rapid change in existing military theory and practice, as well as a radical expansion of nuclearization,' North Korea's main newspaper reported. Kim also signaled North Korea's intransigence in pressing ahead with its nuclear program. 'Comrade Kim Jong-un declared that important measures for the accelerated growth of national defense capabilities will certainly continue to be taken, and that our firm will and capability to defend the sovereignty and security of the country will be expressed through practical action,' the Rodong Sinmun reported. In response, South Korea's Unification Ministry on Tuesday reiterated that the "Korea–US combined military exercises are of a defensive nature aimed at protecting the lives and safety of the people." 'We once again make clear that there is no intent to attack North Korea or to heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula,' a senior Unification Ministry official said on condition of anonymity. 'With regard to Chairman Kim Jong-un's remark about strengthening nuclear capabilities, our position is contained in our celebratory address." In his Aug. 15 speech, President Lee underscored his goal of establishing a peaceful, 'nuclear-free Korean Peninsula,' while admitting that 'denuclearization is a complex and very challenging task that cannot be resolved in the short term.' Choi Il, a retired South Korean navy captain and now head of South Korea's Submarine Research Institute, pointed out that 'Kim Jong-un's visit to the destroyer Choe Hyon on Aug. 18 — when the vessel was docked and no special event was taking place — clearly reflected a political intention.' Choi underscored the significance of 'Kim referring to the exercises and stressing nuclear armament aboard the destroyer Choe Hyon on the first day of the Korea–US combined UFS exercises." Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the government-funded Korea Institute for National Unification, explained North Korean media coverage of Kim's on-site visit was mainly a "low-key response" to the ROK–US combined exercises. 'This response can be considered low-key in form and is difficult to view as a direct provocation or stimulus, since it did not involve an actual missile launch or a comparable action,' Hong said. 'Yet in substance, it conveys a strong message, as it was a visit demonstrating the (North Korean) navy's nuclear armament and signaling the intent for future force deployment.' Hong further explained that the other major goal is to "demonstrate the non-acceptance of denuclearization and the irreversible will for the advancement of nuclear weapons" prior to the first summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump on Aug. 25. Pyongyang's response appears intended as a preemptive move ahead of the Lee-Trump summit, where North Korea's denuclearization and the allies' approach are expected to be discussed and announced in a joint statement. 'Rather than direct provocation, the focus appears to have been on sending a message that strongly highlights the rejection of the principle of denuclearization by showcasing mid- to long-term prospects for naval nuclear armament and the expansion of nuclear weapon launch platforms,' Hong explained.
