People Power Party Also Supports the 'Gadeokdo New Airport Special Act'

Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman: "Busan as a Global Economic City"

Kim Jong-in, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, is speaking at the on-site Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the People Power Party Busan City Party Office in Suyeong-gu, Busan, on the morning of the 1st. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Busan=Asia Economy Reporter Geum Boryeong] Kim Jong-in, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, visited Busan and pledged to work with the ruling party to pass the 'Gadeokdo New Airport Construction Special Act.' This formalizes his intention to actively promote the Gadeokdo New Airport project, clarifying his previously ambiguous stance. This move is interpreted as a response to the fact that local public opinion is not as favorable to the People Power Party as expected.

On the 1st, Chairman Kim held an emergency committee meeting at the Busan City Party Office and said, "The People Power Party actively supports the construction of the Gadeokdo New Airport and will strive to ensure that the special airport law is passed with bipartisan agreement." He added, "The construction of the Gadeokdo New Airport will bring enormous employment effects and economic ripple effects. To make Busan a global economic city, we will actively support the Expo hosting and the airport construction to proceed without any setbacks, serving as a turning point for Busan's re-advancement."

Lee Jong-bae, the Policy Committee Chairman, also stated, "The People Power Party will approach the promotion of the Gadeokdo New Airport with sincerity," and "We will do our best to make Busan the world's top logistics and transportation city." Following the on-site emergency committee meeting, the People Power Party leadership headed to the planned site of the Gadeokdo New Airport.

This marks a shift from Chairman Kim's statement last month that "Busan's economy will not drastically change just because of the Gadeokdo (New Airport)." On the 27th of last month, Joo Ho-young, the floor leader of the People Power Party, criticized in a radio interview, "The Democratic Party is desperate ahead of the election and is trying to benefit by exploiting Busan citizens' belief that the economy will revive with Gadeokdo." Chairman Kim's remarks today appear to be an attempt to reverse the negative impact such internal party views have on Busan's public opinion.

Busan has had a strong conservative leaning since former President Kim Young-sam's 'Three-Party Merger,' but recent public opinion polls in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam (PK) show higher support for the Democratic Party. Additionally, Chairman Kim announced that he would consider constructing a Korea-Japan undersea tunnel connecting Gadeokdo and Kyushu, Japan. He said, "According to research, the employment inducement effect is expected to reach 450,000 people, indicating tremendous economic benefits," and added, "We will enhance Busan's economic and strategic value as a logistics hub connecting the Eurasian continent and Japan."

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