Minju: "We actively welcome the People Power Party's proposal of the 'Gadeokdo Special Act'... We will take it well into consideration"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] The Democratic Party of Korea has expressed strong support for the special law on Gadeokdo New Airport proposed by some members of the People Power Party.

Choi In-ho, the chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said in a morning briefing on the 20th, "We actively welcome the People Power Party's proposal of the special law on Gadeokdo New Airport. It is even more meaningful as it was adopted as the party stance of the People Power Party's Busan branch."

Choi added, "In particular, we fully agree with the reason for proposing the special law, which is to promote Gadeok New Airport quickly and efficiently. We will carefully refer to the contents of the special law proposed by the People Power Party when drafting our own bill."

He continued, "We pay attention to parts of the proposal such as 'applying the results of past preliminary feasibility studies if conducted' and 'exempting the preliminary feasibility study'."

Choi emphasized, "We have decided to have Policy Committee Chair Han Jeong-ae as the lead proposer, and the draft is already under review by the Legislative Office. The Democratic Party will responsibly propose the bill, reflecting even the opposition party's special law contents under the principle of 'legal and swift promotion.'"

He also said, "We hope that the special law bills submitted by each party will be promptly handled through joint review in the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, in close consultation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and other relevant ministries."

On the same morning, Ha Tae-kyung, chairman of the Busan branch of the People Power Party, along with 15 Busan National Assembly members including Park Soo-young, announced, "To ensure the swift and efficient construction of Gadeokdo New Airport, which is the aspiration of 8 million residents of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam, the People Power Party's Busan branch is proposing the Busan Gadeokdo New Airport Special Law as the party stance."

The proposal includes provisions to apply the results of past preliminary feasibility studies and conduct supplementary investigations with simplified procedures, exemption from preliminary feasibility studies, and the ability to commence initial construction work before the completion of detailed design.

However, opinions within the People Power Party remain divided over the Gadeokdo New Airport issue. Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, said after the party's floor strategy meeting at the National Assembly on the same morning, "I strongly reprimanded the Busan members for submitting the special law bill without discussing it with the leadership," adding, "I believe we should not get entangled in an issue thrown recklessly by the administration and the Democratic Party for the Busan mayoral election, disregarding the country's interests."

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