Ruling Party PK Lawmakers Convey Safety Concerns of Gimhae New Airport to Government

Lee Nak-yeon: "The Government Will Make the Final Decision"

Min Hong-chul, Chairman of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly, is presiding over the full meeting of the National Defense Committee held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 6th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Choi Hyun-joo] The Democratic Party of Korea announced on the 7th that lawmakers from Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam received a briefing from the government on the activities of the Gimhae New Airport Verification Committee ahead of the committee's announcement of verification results.

Seven lawmakers from the Bu-Ul-Gyeong region opposing the Gimhae New Airport expansion plan?Min Hong-cheol, Kim Du-kwan, Kim Jeong-ho, Park Jae-ho, Lee Sang-heon, Jeon Jae-soo, and Choi In-ho?along with party leader Lee Nak-yeon, received a briefing on related matters from Moon Seung-wook, Deputy Minister of the Prime Minister's Office, at the National Assembly on the 6th.

Deputy Minister Moon explained to the Democratic Party lawmakers the progress of the verification committee's activities, which Chairman Kim Soo-sang of the New Airport Verification Committee had verbally reported to Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun the previous day.

Representative Choi In-ho stated, "During the question and answer session, it was confirmed that there are several issues regarding safety," adding, "Even within the safety subcommittee, there were significant disagreements on how to view and handle obstacles."

He further explained, "The lawmakers strongly pointed out that expanding Gimhae Airport does not align with the concept of a gateway airport, and requested that when the verification committee releases its results, it should disclose all discussions and review matters from each subcommittee without omission."

Party leader Lee Nak-yeon reportedly expressed a principled stance at the meeting, saying, "We must pursue a safe and expandable gateway airport with a long-term perspective."

Representative Choi said, "Ultimately, the choice of a gateway airport is a matter for the government," and added, "The Bu-Ul-Gyeong lawmakers have decided to unite their efforts under Leader Lee to enable the government to conclude that the Gimhae Airport expansion plan is inappropriate, and especially to support the government in making such a decision."

The Gimhae New Airport plan was selected as the candidate site for the Southeast region new airport during the Park Geun-hye administration, but lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties in the Bu-Ul-Gyeong region have raised concerns about safety issues such as conflicts with surrounding mountains and noise pollution, calling for the cancellation of the Gimhae New Airport construction and advocating for building a new airport on Gadeokdo Island in Busan.

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