Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do, pushes to change the starting point of National Highway No. 1 to ‘Ttangkkeut’

National Highway No. 1 is a road that connects Mokpo, Jeollanam-do, through Panmunjom, to Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province. Before the division of the Korean Peninsula, the total route length was 1,068 km. The current accessible end point is Imjingak, Munsan-eup, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do. The starting point is Mokpo Bridge located in Mokpo New Port. When it opened in 1911, the starting point was in front of the former Japanese Consulate under Yudalsan Mountain in Mokpo, but with the opening of Mokpo Bridge in 2012, the starting point was changed to Chungmu-dong Gohado, the end point of Mokpo Bridge.

Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do is pursuing a plan to change the starting point of National Highway No. 1 to Ttangkkeut, the southernmost tip of the Korean Peninsula.

Haenam-gun announced on the 25th that it plans to recommend a change in the starting point to government ministries such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport when the results of the feasibility study for changing the starting point are released at the end of this year.

The change in the starting point of National Highway No. 1 in Haenam-gun is being promoted as large-scale social infrastructure (SOC) projects such as highways and railways connecting Haenam are accelerating.

The highway between Gwangju-Haenam-Wando was promised early implementation at President Yoon Seok-yeol’s People’s Livelihood Debate held at the Jeonnam Provincial Office last month, giving a boost to the project’s progress. The Gwangju-Gangjin section is currently at a completion rate of 73%, with the goal of completion in 2026. The Gangjin-Haenam-Wando section is currently undergoing a policy evaluation by the Korea Development Institute (KDI), and after the preliminary feasibility study is completed this year, construction is scheduled to begin in 2028 after going through basic and detailed design.

The railway line connecting Boseong-Haenam-Muan Imseong is in the midst of completion with the goal of opening in 2025. Starting with a test run in October, construction is scheduled to begin in July after completion in the first half of next year. The construction of the railway station to be built in Valley-myeon, Haenam-gun is also scheduled to be completed in October, during the trial run period.

Haenam County Mayor Myeong Hyeon-gwan said, “The change in the starting point of National Highway No. 1 will be an opportunity to enhance the symbolism of ‘Haenam at the End of the Earth,’ the beginning of the Korean Peninsula, and the significance of balanced national development,” adding, “It is possible that projects planned for regional development will yield results.” “We will consult with central ministries and establish a collaboration system to ensure this,” he said. Reporter Jeong Seung-ho [email protected]