Developments in urban infrastructure'
Once part of the only region in the Republic of Korea not connected to the country’s high-speed rail network, the Alpensia mountain region and Gangneung coastal cluster are now linked to Seoul by a 113.7km line served by trains running at 300km/h. The train link – a key part of the PyeongChang 2018 transport infrastructure – has cut journey times between the county and the capital to just one hour. It is also energy efficient, with its trains boasting a carbon footprint one-eighth the size of their diesel-powered counterparts.
New roads also enhanced regional transport links. The 22km expressway between Seongnam and Anyang cut travel time from Seoul’s Incheon International Airport to PyeongChang and Gangneung to around 95 minutes, some 40 minutes faster than before. Also built for the Games, the 72km extension of the expressway between Seoul and the remote coastal city of Yangyang, in Gangwon State, reduced journey times by 40 minutes to 90. A further 16 roads in Gangwon State were expanded or built, easing congestion and helping to make the area easier to reach for business and tourism.
Gangwon’s housing situation was boosted by the construction of the 4,000 apartments that housed athletes and the media at the Olympic Villages in PyeongChang and Gangneung, all of which were sold after the Games, as planned, for private occupancy.
In 2019, a two-decade plan was put in place for the urban development of a 27km2 area covering parts of PyeongChang and other cities in Gangwon State. Comprising some 40 projects, it is designed to further promote economic development and the region’s standing as a major tourist destination and winter sports hub. It is estimated that the plan could add KWN 10.5 trillion (EUR 7 million) to the gross regional product and create 264,390 jobs in the period up to 2039.