Missing bus routes and Gangnam Republic [Fact-tracking tonight]

Amid growing concerns over the so-called "local extinction," the gap in development between Gangnam and non-Gangnam in Seoul has been found to be widening even within the metropolitan area.

[Fact Tracking] According to the report, out of 25 autonomous districts in Seoul, 61 subway stations in 3 Gangnam districts, including Gangnam, Seocho, and Songpa, accounted for more than 22% of the total 273 stations.

Bus routes were also concentrated in the Gangnam area, and it has been confirmed that the existing routes connecting Gyeonggi-do and Seoul were abolished to increase the number of vehicles traveling to and from these areas.

Due to the limited number of subsidies and vehicles, the Seoul Metropolitan Government explained that it had no choice but to proceed with the closure as it expanded routes in areas with high demand.

In fact, various jobs such as finance, investment, IT companies and hospitals, as well as essential infrastructure such as medical care and education, are concentrated in the Gangnam area of Seoul.

As a result, Gangnam-gu's gross regional product and GRDP as of 2023 is 77.9 trillion won, the largest among Seoul's autonomous districts, which is 23 times the minimum of Gangbuk-gu, and the financial independence level is 56%, which is twice the average of Seoul's autonomous districts.

The YTN investigative report program [Fact Tracking], which airs tonight (8th), examines the reality of the Gangnam bias, represented by the Republic of Gangnam, and focuses on finding solutions to close the gap between regions.