Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport Confirmed at Uiseong Bian and Gunwi Sobo... Gunwi County Governor Kim Young-man Objects

Daegu Airport Relocation Resident Referendum Early Voting Station. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Ju Cheol-in] The final relocation site for the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport has been decided as the joint candidate sites of Sobok in Gunwi, Gyeongbuk, and Bian in Uiseong. As Gunwi County, which had been pushing for Wubo in Gunwi as the sole candidate site, declared non-acceptance, the conflict between Uiseong County and Gunwi County is expected to not easily subside even after the residents' vote.

On the 21st, as a result of the residents' vote for the relocation of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport, the joint candidate sites Sobok in Gunwi and Bian in Uiseong outscored the sole candidate site Wubo in Gunwi. The score was calculated by combining the voter turnout and approval rate. Sobok in Gunwi and Bian in Uiseong received 89.52 points, surpassing Wubo in Gunwi, which scored 78.44 points. This scoring method was notified in advance through the Daegu Military Airport Relocation Site Selection Committee.

In this vote, Uiseong County recorded a voter turnout of 88.69% and an approval rate of 90.36% for the joint candidate sites. Gunwi County also showed a voter turnout of 80.61% and an approval rate of 76.27% for the sole candidate site. The number of voters was 42,956 in Uiseong County and 17,880 in Gunwi County.

The two regions were selected as multiple relocation candidate sites in March 2018 and cooperated for 1 year and 10 months in establishing support plans for surrounding areas and setting relocation site selection criteria, but before the vote, they experienced conflicts including mutual lawsuits.

Upon the announcement of the voting results, Kim Young-man, the head of Gunwi County, expressed his intention to reject the results in a statement. Kim said, "I am the head of Gunwi County, not Uiseong County. I take the will of the Gunwi residents expressed through the voting results seriously," and added, "Regardless of the voting results, I will apply for Wubo in Gunwi County as the sole candidate site for the Daegu Airport relocation."

On the day, the voter turnout exceeded 80% in both regions despite it not being a temporary holiday, reflecting the heated atmosphere. This is interpreted as a result of the aspiration to use the airport attraction as an opportunity for regional development.

Previously, Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, instructed measures to address regional conflicts, and Kwon Young-jin, Mayor of Daegu, promised to discover win-win development projects. However, it is expected to take time for the heated atmosphere to subside.

Meanwhile, Governor Lee and Mayor Kwon are scheduled to hold a press conference at Daegu City Hall at 4 p.m. on the 22nd to announce the goal of simultaneous opening of the civilian and military airports in 2026 and the blueprint for the construction of the integrated new airport.

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