Democratic Party of Korea Representatives from Bu-Ul-Gyeong Region Send Open Letter to Prime Minister Candidate Jeong Sye-gyun

Urgent Proposal for Early Promotion of Southeast Gateway Airport
Busan Jeon Jae-su, Kim Young-chun, Kim Hae-young, Choi In-ho, Park Jae-ho, Yoon Joon-ho; Gyeongnam Min Hong-chul, Kim Jung-ho, Seo Hyung-soo; Ulsan Lee Sang-heon

Logo of the Democratic Party of Korea. (Photo by the Democratic Party of Korea Busan Branch)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Yoseop, Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Jonghyo] Members of the Democratic Party of Korea from the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam regions issued an appeal letter urging the prompt promotion of the Southeast Gateway Airport ahead of the National Assembly confirmation hearing for Prime Minister nominee Jeong Seyeon.

According to the Busan City Party on the 6th, all members of the National Assembly from the Bu-Ul-Gyeong (Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongnam) area, including Jeon Jae-su, chairman of the Busan City Party, as well as Kim Young-choon, Kim Hae-young, Choi In-ho, Park Jae-ho, Yoon Jun-ho, Min Hong-cheol, chairman of the Gyeongnam Provincial Party, Kim Jeong-ho, Seo Hyung-soo, and Lee Sang-heon, chairman of the Ulsan City Party, released an appeal titled “To Prime Minister nominee Jeong Seyeon, conveying the wishes of 8 million Bu-Ul-Gyeong city and provincial residents.”

In the appeal, the lawmakers stated, “Facing the crisis of local extinction, to revive the stagnant regional economy and achieve true national balanced development, the ‘proper construction of the Southeast Gateway Airport’ must be promptly promoted.”

They also said, “The Prime Minister’s Office is currently verifying the appropriateness of the Gimhae New Airport as a gateway airport, but Bu-Ul-Gyeong citizens are concerned that as the National Assembly elections approach, the airport issue will become politicized again, causing the Prime Minister’s Office to fail to make a decision and the project to drift.”

In particular, they claimed, “Despite serious problems revealed in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s expansion plan for Gimhae New Airport, such as environmental destruction, increased noise damage, lack of safety, and insufficient expandability, the Ministry is trying to push the project forward while ignoring these issues.”

The lawmakers further urged, “Since Bu-Ul-Gyeong city and provincial residents have expressed support for the relocation of the Daegu Integrated New Airport, we hope that President Moon Jae-in’s pledge for the ‘construction of a 24-hour safe Southeast Gateway Airport’ will be promptly implemented in terms of national balanced development and local autonomy.”

Below is the full text of the public appeal.

“To Prime Minister nominee Jeong Seyeon, conveying the wishes of 8 million Bu-Ul-Gyeong city and provincial residents”

“A properly constructed Southeast Gateway Airport is the earnest wish of 8 million Bu-Ul-Gyeong citizens.”

Prime Minister nominee Jeong Seyeon, although the confirmation hearing remains, we express our respect for your nomination and your decision to accept it. We sincerely hope that through the hearing process, you will demonstrate your deep affection for the Republic of Korea and mature capabilities, and be appointed as Prime Minister with overwhelming support from the National Assembly and the welcome of the people.

Currently, 8 million residents of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam earnestly wish for the prompt promotion of the ‘proper construction of the Southeast Gateway Airport’ to revive the stagnant regional economy in this era of local extinction crisis and to achieve true national balanced development and local autonomy.

Through the Bu-Ul-Gyeong verification team’s activities, scientific issues were raised regarding the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s expansion plan for Gimhae New Airport, including environmental destruction, increased noise damage, lack of safety, and insufficient expandability, but the Ministry did not accept these. After deadlock, on June 20, 2019, the mayors and governors of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam and the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport agreed to transfer the final judgment on the appropriateness of Gimhae New Airport as the Southeast Gateway Airport to the Prime Minister’s Office. On December 6, 2019, after many twists and turns, the Prime Minister’s Office formed a verification committee of 21 experts from various fields under the Office for Government Policy Coordination and began full-scale verification of the positions and views of the Ministry and Bu-Ul-Gyeong.

“The Southeast Gateway Airport is necessary for national balanced development and local autonomy.”

A major contradiction hindering the development of the Republic of Korea is the unipolar system centered on the metropolitan area. The metropolitan area’s overgrowth and overcrowding have caused housing shortages, traffic congestion, environmental problems, and various other issues, incurring significant social costs. Meanwhile, local areas face population and corporate outflows, leading to hollowing out and miniaturization, putting them at risk of local extinction. The unipolar dominance of Incheon Airport is central to the rapid expansion of the metropolitan area. Ninety-eight percent of Yeongnam region’s international air cargo is exported and imported through Incheon Airport, causing local companies to bear logistics costs and relocate to the metropolitan area. Moreover, more than 5.6 million Yeongnam residents travel abroad annually through Incheon Airport for medium- and long-distance trips to the U.S., Europe, and other regions. Yeongnam residents spend over 720 billion KRW annually on additional costs on the road. To overcome these imbalances and disadvantages for Yeongnam companies and residents, and to reduce the metropolitan area’s overgrowth and social costs, the Southeast Gateway Airport is absolutely necessary.

As President Moon Jae-in pledged that “a gateway airport capable of substituting Incheon International Airport in emergencies is needed in the Southeast region,” the Southeast Gateway Airport is necessary as an alternative airport from the perspective of national balanced development.

Our Bu-Ul-Gyeong three cities and provinces have so far expressed support for the relocation of the Daegu Integrated New Airport. This is because residents of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region also hope for the cancellation of the problematic Gimhae New Airport and willingly agreed to participate in the Prime Minister’s Office verification committee. This is not only because a joint local response is needed against the unipolar system centered on the metropolitan area and Incheon Airport from the perspective of national balanced development, but also because from the perspective of local autonomy and decentralization, it is more efficient and desirable for regional economic revitalization and win-win cooperation that each region’s air demand be met by its own regional airport, whether in Daegu-Gyeongbuk or Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam.

Prime Minister nominee Jeong Seyeon, as an expert in economics and industry, openly stated during the 2012 Democratic United Party presidential primary that the national project of the Southeast Gateway Airport should be promoted based on economic logic rather than political logic. This fully aligns with the wishes of 8 million Bu-Ul-Gyeong citizens.

“We hope you will make an objective and fair decision as soon as possible.”

The Prime Minister’s Office is currently verifying the appropriateness of Gimhae New Airport as the gateway airport, but Bu-Ul-Gyeong residents are concerned that as the general election approaches, the issue will become politicized again, causing the Prime Minister’s Office to fail to make a final decision and the Southeast Gateway Airport project to drift. Although the general election is near, we hope the Prime Minister nominee will not hesitate and will make an objective and fair decision as soon as possible.

With your thoughtful and fair decision, we hope you will create an opportunity for the Southeast region, which has repeatedly stagnated, to leap forward as a gateway and hub for Northeast Asian logistics connecting the continent and the ocean in the coming era of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula. We earnestly ask you to pave the way to fulfill President Moon Jae-in’s pledge for the ‘construction of a 24-hour safe Southeast Gateway Airport’ from the perspective of national balanced development and local autonomy. In the year of Gyejanyeon, with new hope and expectations, 8 million Bu-Ul-Gyeong residents sincerely hope you will respond to this call.

January 6, 2020

All members of the Democratic Party of Korea National Assembly from Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam regions

Jeon Jae-su, Member of the National Assembly for Buk-gu and Gangseo-gu, Busan (Chairman of Busan City Party)

Kim Young-choon, Member of the National Assembly for Busanjin-gu, Busan

Kim Hae-young, Member of the National Assembly for Yeonje-gu, Busan

Choi In-ho, Member of the National Assembly for Saha-gu, Busan

Park Jae-ho, Member of the National Assembly for Nam-gu, Busan

Yoon Jun-ho, Member of the National Assembly for Haeundae-gu, Busan

Min Hong-cheol, Member of the National Assembly for Gimhae-si A, Gyeongnam (Chairman of Gyeongnam Provincial Party)

Kim Jeong-ho, Member of the National Assembly for Gimhae-si B, Gyeongnam

Seo Hyung-soo, Member of the National Assembly for Yangsan-si B, Gyeongnam

Lee Sang-heon, Member of the National Assembly for Buk-gu, Ulsan (Chairman of Ulsan City Party)

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.