"An Airport on Gadeokdo? ... 'An Airport for Drying Anchovies' Will It Become?" Chun Young-woo's Rebuke

"Opposition Lawmakers Who Proposed Special Law Are Truly Disappointing"
"Should Think of Citizens and Nation's Interests Instead of Being Led by Narrow Selfishness"

Cheon Yeong-woo, former Senior Secretary for Foreign Affairs and National Security at the Blue House. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Cheon Young-woo, chairman of the Korea Peninsula Future Forum and former senior secretary for foreign affairs and national security at the Blue House during the Lee Myung-bak administration, criticized the Busan 'Gadeokdo New Airport' project being pushed by some political circles, saying it could become an "airport for drying anchovies."

On the 22nd, Cheon wrote on his Facebook, "I am really disappointed in the opposition party lawmakers from Busan who jointly proposed the 'Gadeokdo New Airport Special Act.'

He added, "A few years ago, Lufthansa opened a route to Europe but stopped operating it due to a lack of passengers after detouring through Fukuoka, incurring heavy losses. I understand that if the airport is built on Gadeokdo, all domestic flights except those to Jeju will disappear, and if long-haul international demand continues to be absent as it is now, it could become an airport for drying anchovies instead of chili peppers," he pointed out.

He continued, "They want to waste more than 6 trillion won of taxpayers' money unnecessarily to build an airport that is farther away and more inconvenient for Busan citizens," and criticized, "If it is to spend 6 trillion won more to move the airport from Gadeokdo to the closer Gimhae, or if there is no money to expand Gimhae Airport and they have to go all the way to Gadeokdo to build a cheaper airport, that might be understandable. But to create a special law to go almost 20 km away to Gadeokdo while having the convenient Gimhae Airport is absurd."

Cheon strongly criticized, "If there is not a single lawmaker with the courage to enlighten citizens who do not understand how important airport accessibility is to Busan's urban competitiveness and to awaken citizens who are deceived by lies and superstitions about the Gadeokdo New Airport from ignorance and misunderstanding, there is no reason to place any hope in the People Power Party anymore."

He added, "It is understandable that the local construction industry dreaming of a temporary jackpot through subcontracting civil engineering works and the local media relying on advertising revenue from them mislead public opinion as if the Gadeokdo New Airport is a boon to Busan's economy. However, politicians should not be led by the narrow selfishness and collective deception of companies and local media but should prioritize the interests of citizens and the entire country," he emphasized.

Ha Tae-kyung (right) and Park Soo-young, members of the People Power Party, submitted the "Busan Gadeokdo New Airport Special Act," jointly proposed by 15 People Power Party lawmakers from the Busan region, to the National Assembly's Legislative Affairs Office on the 20th. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, on the morning of the 20th, some members of the People Power Party proposed the 'Busan Gadeokdo New Airport Special Act.' Representative Park Soo-young took the lead in proposing the bill, with all Busan lawmakers from the People Power Party, including Ha Tae-kyung, chairman of the Busan City Party Committee, jointly sponsoring it. This was a faster move compared to the Democratic Party, which is preparing a similar bill.

The special act focuses on simplifying the procedures to build the Gadeokdo New Airport quickly and efficiently. It includes provisions to exempt preliminary feasibility studies and to start initial construction work before the detailed design is completed.

On the same day, Representative Ha said, "The Gadeokdo New Airport is the aspiration of 8 million residents of Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam," and added, "We are proposing the special act as the official stance of the People Power Party Busan City Party for swift and efficient construction."

He also emphasized, "We should stop giving false hope to citizens and President Moon Jae-in should officially declare the promotion of the Gadeokdo New Airport and help push it forward as quickly as possible."

However, the opposition leadership strongly criticized the lawmakers who proposed the special act. Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, said at a press conference after the floor meeting, "PK lawmakers proposed the (new airport special act) without discussing it with the leadership," and added, "They were strongly reprimanded."

He continued, "First, the chairman of the verification committee officially stated that 'the Gimhae New Airport has never been scrapped,' so we need to examine whether the process was proper and reach a conclusion before proposing (the bill)," he pointed out.

He further emphasized, "We should not get caught up in the issue thrown by the regime and the Democratic Party for the Busan mayoral election without considering the country," and said, "The standing committee will request an audit from both ruling and opposition parties regarding the Gimhae New Airport."

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