Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin and Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo: "Cancellation of Gimhae New Airport Will Lead to 'Conflict and Division'"

Statement on the Announcement by the Gimhae New Airport Verification Committee

On the afternoon of November 17, a commercial airplane is moving at Gimhae International Airport in Gangseo-gu, Busan. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] On the 17th, regarding the announcement by the Gimhae New Airport Verification Committee under the Prime Minister's Office to scrap the new airport project, Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin and Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo strongly opposed, stating, "If this is used solely for political purposes with election considerations, it will once again drive the Yeongnam region into conflict and division."

Mayor Kwon and Governor Lee stated in a press release that "The Gimhae New Airport construction project is an important national policy project decided through the agreement of five cities and provinces in the Yeongnam region after long conflicts and controversies since the Roh Moo-hyun administration in 2005, following a feasibility study by the world-renowned airport specialist organization (ADPi)."

These local government heads emphasized, "In December last year, when the verification of Gimhae New Airport began due to the unreasonable demands of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam, the Prime Minister's Office clearly stated that 'political judgments will be completely excluded, and only technical aspects will be verified.'" They recalled, "Even during the verification process, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the competent authority, repeatedly declared that there were no safety issues and that the project would proceed as originally planned."

However, they pointed out that some regions and political circles are openly discussing not only scrapping the project but also the future site, and even absurdly reflecting the budget for a feasibility study on site appropriateness.

Mayor Kwon and Governor Lee warned, "If there are technical issues as raised in this verification result, it is natural to supplement and proceed with the project. However, if this is used solely for political purposes with election considerations, the public will never tolerate it."

They added, "The 5.1 million residents of Daegu and Gyeongbuk strongly urge that the Gimhae New Airport construction project, which is the aspiration and future of the 13 million residents of the Yeongnam region, be carried out as originally planned," emphasizing, "We clearly state that the agreement of the five cities and provinces in the Yeongnam region must be a prerequisite for all future procedures."

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