Park Hyung-jun: "Gadeokdo New Airport Will Be a Catalyst for the Development of the Entire Southern Region"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Park Hyung-jun, a professor at Dong-A University and considered one of the opposition candidates for Busan mayor, expressed his welcome for the scrapping of the Gimhae New Airport project, stating that "the Gadeokdo New Airport will be a catalyst for the development of the entire southern region."

On the 18th, Professor Park said on Facebook, "If things continue like this, we will end up with two republics: the first-class republic Seoul and the second-class republic southern region."

He emphasized, "Even if this is politically exploited with elections in mind, I will not blame anyone. That shows how desperate Busan and the southern region are," adding, "More than half of the population is concentrated in the metropolitan area, along with money and talent, yet the southern region has not been able to find an opportunity for autonomous development."

Professor Park stated, "The Gadeokdo New Airport will be a catalyst for the development of the entire southern region," and proposed, "Let's create a logistics hub airport connecting industry and ports as a gateway to Northeast Asia."

He explained, "This airport is not just Busan's airport but the airport for the entire southern region," adding, "Gadeokdo and Daegu can be connected by a one-hour transportation network, and if the Busan-Mokpo KTX is linked, we can create a fantastic tourism belt connecting Busan, Geoje, Yeosu, and Mokpo throughout the southern region."

Professor Park said, "It is important what vision and alternatives we create for the Gadeokdo New Airport," adding, "The metropolitan area is soaring, but the southern region, which is lagging behind, cannot afford to waste time on internal conflicts."

He stated, "We must quickly push forward a catalyst that can make the entire southern region another axis of Korea's development," adding, "no matter who becomes mayor or the next president, this mission cannot be neglected."

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