Every Election Season, National Projects Flip Like a Hand... Controversy Over Hasty Promotion of 'Gadeokdo New Airport'

Four-Year-Long Kimhae New Airport Plan Abandoned
Both Ruling and Opposition Parties Accelerate 'Gadeokdo New Airport' Push
TK Politicians: "Political Motive... Absolutely No Cancellation of Kimhae Airport"
Experts: "Political Use of National Project... Serious Undermining of Preliminary Feasibility Study"

Kim Su-sam, Chairman of the Gimhae New Airport Verification Committee under the Prime Minister's Office, is announcing the verification results on the afternoon of the 17th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy reporters Han Seung-gon and Kang Joo-hee] As the 'Gimhae New Airport Plan' decided during the Park Geun-hye administration is being scrapped, conflicts surrounding the Southeast Region New Airport are intensifying. The Gimhae New Airport Plan received the highest score in the 'Southeast Region New Airport Candidate Site Evaluation' in 2016, but this recent review concluded that a fundamental reconsideration is necessary due to safety concerns and other issues.

With the Busan mayoral by-election scheduled for April next year, the politically sensitive parties are accelerating efforts to re-promote the 'Gadeokdo New Airport,' a long-standing aspiration of the PK (Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongnam) city and provincial residents. However, it seems difficult to avoid criticism that major national policies are being changed as easily as flipping a hand, in consideration of the by-election and the 2022 presidential and local elections.

Experts pointed out that ignoring the 'preliminary feasibility study' for national projects and deciding policies based on political logic is a national problem.

On the 17th, the Gimhae New Airport Verification Committee concluded that a fundamental reconsideration is necessary due to issues such as the inevitable massive budget investment required to secure flight safety related to the expansion of Gimhae New Airport, and the difficulty in handling the desired demand even with astronomical budget input.

The verification committee particularly acknowledged the legal interpretation by the Ministry of Government Legislation that 'consultation with Busan City is necessary for airport facility expansion,' judging the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's failure to consult with Busan City regarding cutting down mountains near the airport for the construction of a new runway as a procedural flaw.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun (right) receives the verification results from Kim Su-sam, Chairman of the Gimhae New Airport Verification Committee (left), at his office in the Government Seoul Office Building on the 17th. Photo by Yonhap News

The ruling party, the Democratic Party of Korea, is immediately accelerating efforts by pushing for the enactment of a special law to promote the 'Gadeokdo New Airport.'

Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon stated at an emergency countermeasure meeting held that day, "I have expressed support for the Gadeokdo New Airport for a long time," adding, "The task ahead of us is to swiftly proceed with the legal procedures." The Democratic Party agreed to form a Southeast Region New Airport Promotion Team led by Policy Committee Chair Han Jeong-ae and to enact a special law to shorten the promotion process as much as possible.

The People Power Party has not established a consistent party stance and opinions are divided. While raising suspicions that the ruling party's policy is for election purposes, the criticism is not strong, seemingly mindful of the by-election.

Kim Jong-in, the emergency committee chairman, told reporters after a party meeting, "It is regrettable that the government's policy consistency has not been maintained," but added, "We have no choice but to actively consider the construction of the Gadeokdo New Airport."

However, both inside and outside the political circles, criticism is emerging that both ruling and opposition parties are merely calculating votes in consideration of the by-election scheduled for April next year and the 2022 presidential and local elections regarding the promotion of the Southeast Region New Airport.

Previously, the Southeast Region New Airport project has experienced ups and downs with each administration, including being scrapped three times since former President Roh Moo-hyun launched it as a presidential campaign pledge in 2002. In the 'Yeongnam Region New Airport Candidate Site Evaluation' conducted by France's Paris Airport Engineering Group (ADPi) in 2016, Gimhae Airport received the highest score, surpassing Miryang and Gadeokdo, and the Park Geun-hye administration struggled to reach consensus on promoting the Gimhae New Airport Plan. However, this recent verification result means the current administration is again moving toward scrapping the plan.

As a result, there is strong criticism that a national project worth trillions of won, which has undergone a long verification process, is being changed abruptly due to election considerations. Previously, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport indicated that subsequent procedures would have to start over from scratch, including searching for candidate sites. The ministry also stated that "the shortcomings of Gimhae New Airport are not at a concerning level."

However, both ruling and opposition parties are making the Gadeokdo New Airport a fait accompli and accelerating its promotion immediately after the verification announcement. This is why there is criticism of 'hasty promotion' driven solely by election considerations without proper procedures or verification.

Gimhae New Airport.
Photo by Yonhap News

Daegu and Gyeongbuk immediately reacted with strong opposition, stating that the Gimhae New Airport verification results are 'absolutely unacceptable.'

Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin and Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo issued a joint statement that day, emphasizing, "The Gimhae New Airport construction project must be promoted," and "It is an important national policy project decided through the agreement of five Yeongnam region cities and provinces after long conflicts and controversies since the Roh Moo-hyun administration in 2005, following a service contract with the world-renowned airport specialist ADPi."

They continued, "If there are technical issues, it is natural to supplement and proceed, but national balanced development and promises to the people are being neglected," and "If this is used solely for political purposes mindful of elections, it is an act that drives the Yeongnam region into conflict and division again," expressing indignation.

Experts pointed out that ignoring the 'preliminary feasibility study' for national projects and deciding policies based on political logic is a national problem.

Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon explained, "The promotion of the Gadeokdo New Airport is an old plan dating back to the YS (Roh Tae-woo) era. At that time, Gadeokdo was promoted with reasonable justification to develop Busan as a port city and international city," adding, "However, through the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations, the Gimhae New Airport was chosen as a compromise reflecting the sentiments of the TK (Daegu, Gyeongbuk) region, so even during conservative governments, it can be seen as politically motivated."

He added, "Returning to the original plan seems meaningful in itself. The problem is that the current government is also pushing toward the Gadeokdo New Airport ahead of next year's by-election," and "Like the previous government, they are approaching and deciding national projects too politically."

The commentator pointed out, "The problem since the Moon Jae-in administration is that political logic and election considerations are causing administrative procedures to be ignored too much," and "Cases where preliminary feasibility studies for national projects are ignored or exempted are more frequent than before. The national budget is limited, but it is being recklessly spent. The nullification of preliminary feasibility studies is a serious problem."

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