Gyeongbu Expressway: an Icon of Korea’s Economic Strides

Government policymakers look back on the historic tale of the expressway project and its economic effects 40 years later

Forty years have passed since the Gyeongbu (Seoul-Busan) Expressway opened to traffic in what was marked as one of the watersheds of the nation’s economic strides in 1970. More than 1,000 people from government, industry and other walks of life attended an official ceremony at Seoul Kyoyukmunhwahoekwan in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, on July 7 to celebrate the 19th anniversary of Road Day.
The official ceremony also coincided with diverse seminars, a photo exhibition and other events to commemorate the historic opening of the expressway and to gain an insight into the economic effects the construction of the highway has brought for the past 40 years.
In particular, 40 years later, a look at the pro and con debates over the construction of the road has become the subject of keen attention from the policymakers of the current government, which is pushing ahead with such mega projects as the Four Rivers Restoration Project.
The Gyeongbu Expressway Project, which turned out to become a pivotal force behind the nation’s industrialization, dubbed “The Miracle on the Han River,” came through such difficulties as vehement opposition from political, media and academic circles, and even violent protests.
The opponents, including the late ex-president Kim Dae-jung who once admitted his gaffe, cited the rationale for their opposition mainly in financial terms. At a time when the nation’s per-capita income was a meager $142 in 1967, there were many voices expressing concerns over the astronomical investment of 42.97 billion won, accounting for 23.6 percent of the nation’s total budget. They argued that the project could be an overlapping investment due to the Seoul-Busan double-tracked railways, and it was a kind of favoritism to the Seoul metropolitan area and the Gyeongsang provinces. Some opponents maintained that it was too early to build such a road since registered automobiles stood at 50,000, so not many cars could travel on the route.
The expressway project managed to get through such a myriad of hurdles as vehement public opposition, a lack of capital and limited technological power, however. Motorists now take five hours and 35 minutes to drive from Seoul to Busan instead of the previous 15-plus hours, bringing tremendous changes over all sectors of society. Thanks to the seamless flow of logistics, the nation has seen the industrial structure shift from a light industry-oriented one to one focused on such heavy industries as steel, petrochemicals and automobiles, thus contributing to building a foundation for a national balanced development, facilitating cultural and information exchanges between districts and enhancing the quality of people’s lives. With the background of the construction of the Gyeongbu Expressway in mind, Prime Minister Chung delivered his commemorative message at the ceremony in which he praised the project as the pinnacle of achievements made on the basis of the Korean people’s unique affirmative mindset, undaunted challenging sprit, teamwork and determination.
“We’ve already successfully carried out POSCO’s ironworks, the national high-speed railway, KTX, and the Incheon International Airport projects amid furious opposition, looking forward to the future 50 years from now,” Chung continued. “The Gyeongbu Expressway is a lesson that there should be an insight into the future of the nation with the understanding of world trends in the long-term perspective, rather than relying on immediate interests.”

Recognizing the global economy’s huge challenges of responding to climate change, the prime minister said, the government will strive to realize the new national paradigm of green growth in the road transportation sector. The expansion of intelligent transportation systems and low-carbon road pavement are part of the efforts to transform roads into sustainable advanced green traffic systems. The government plans to step up support to make sure that the nation’s construction and operation of roads will be exemplary green growth practices, he said. In October the 17th ITS World Congress, dubbed a kind of “Traffic Olympics,” will take place in Busan, and the nation has to make flat-out efforts to make the Gyeongbu Expressway a core axis of the “Asian Highway” linking China and Japan, he added.
Minister of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Chung Jong-hwan also noted that of late the Four Rivers Restoration Project has faced what the Gyeongbu Expressway project faced in the form of a taut opposition from opposition political parties and others.
In celebration of the July 7, 1970 opening of the Gyeongbu Expressway, Road Day has been observed since 1992 with the goal of publicizing the role of roads that have an impact on the national economy and public lives and spreading social consensus on roads.
Three organizations and 27 people were honored with orders and other prizes in recognition of their contributions to the development of the road and traffic industries by playing their roles in the construction of expressways and roads and the development of technologies.
Among the honorees was Kim Dong-soo, executive director of Daelim Industrial Co., who was decorated with the Order of Industrial Service Merit, Iron Tower.
The Technology Seminar, the Construction VE Conference 2010 and the Road Policy Debate, organized by the Road Forum, were also held to mark this year’s anniversary. The photo exhibition also featured the pictures of the 40-year chronology of the Gyeongbu Expressway, the finalists of the 2010 road photo contest and the finalists of the 2010 express public design contest.
Five speakers presented their tutorials during the Road Policy Debate in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Gyeongbu Expressway and the 19th anniversary of Road Day. They included Prof. Kim Ki-hyuk, of Pusan National University, who spoke about the social significance of the Gyeongbu Expressway ― practices linking the expressway and districts, and Bae In-cheol, senior researcher at the Expressway & Transportation Research Institute who spoke about the economic meaning of the Gyeongbu Expressway ― the expressway and economic development.
The Gyeongin Expressway, a 29.5 km-long line between Seoul and Incheon, and the 45.5 km-long Seoul-Osan section of the Gyeongbu Line were opened to traffic in December 1968 after the two broke ground on March 24, 1967 and Feb. 1, 1968, respectively. The opening of the expressway sections ushered in the nation’s full-fledged expressway era. The Seoul-Osan section of the Gyeongbu Line and the Suwon-Osan portion opened on Dec. 21, 1968 and on Dec. 29, 1968, respectively. The following year, the Osan-Cheonan, Cheonan-Daejeon and Daegu-Busan sections were dedicated one after another. In particular, the thorniest portion between Daejeon and Daegu, the last of the Gyeongbu Line, finally opened to traffic on July 7, 1970 to complete the historic construction of the 428 km-long expressway. nw

Notables, including Prime Minister Chung Un-chan,; Minister of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Chung Jong-hwan,; and Korea Expressway Corp. President Lieu Chullho, attend a ceremony to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Gyeongbu (Seoul-Busan) Expressway and the 19th anniversary of Road Day on July 7.

(from top) Minister of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Chung Jong-hwan shakes hands with prominent figures on hand at the Road Day anniversary event, as Prime Minister Chung Un-chan looks on.; MLTM Minister Chung gives a speech at the Road Day anniversary event.; and Experts discuss road policies during Road Policy Debate.