The Issue of Gimpo Airport Relocation... Opposition from Former Chief Secretary Lee Jae-myung

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Chang-won] As the pledge to relocate Gimpo Airport by Lee Jae-myung, the National Assembly candidate for Incheon Gyeyang-eul, shakes up the election landscape in Jeju Island, Oh Young-hoon, the Democratic Party candidate for Jeju Governor and former Chief of Staff to Lee Jae-myung, has requested the central party to withdraw the Gimpo Airport relocation pledge.

The controversy over relocating Gimpo Airport began when candidate Lee mentioned the necessity of relocating Gimpo Airport during the Gyeyang-eul by-election candidate debate on the 26th, stating, "The global trend is to abolish domestic short-haul flights," and added, "Domestic flights cause environmental problems by emitting more than 20 times the carbon compared to high-speed rail."

Candidate Lee has highlighted this as the biggest issue in the by-election and repeatedly confirmed his determination to relocate Gimpo Airport.

In response, the People Power Party, led by Representative Lee Jun-seok, along with the central party and Jeju provincial party, launched an all-out offensive emphasizing "the collapse of Jeju tourism and the inconvenience for Jeju residents traveling to the mainland."

On the afternoon of the 28th, Representative Lee Jun-seok held an emergency press conference at Jeju International Airport, criticizing Lee Jae-myung’s remarks as a "plan to annihilate Jeju’s tourism industry."

Heo Hyang-jin, the People Power Party candidate for Jeju Governor and a professor of tourism, argued, "If Jeju residents use Incheon, Wonju, or Cheongju airports, it will cost much more time and money. The capacity will decrease, tourists visiting Jeju will decline, and it will become difficult for residents to travel to the mainland," adding, "It will cost more money, take more time, and ultimately the Jeju economy will collapse."

As the Gimpo Airport relocation pledge emerged as a late-stage issue in the Jeju local election and stirred public sentiment, Oh Young-hoon, the Democratic Party candidate and former Chief of Staff to Lee Jae-myung, held an emergency press conference the previous afternoon and announced, "We have sent an official letter to the central party requesting the withdrawal of the Gimpo Airport relocation pledge in the name of Oh Young-hoon, the Democratic Party candidate for governor."

Oh then explained three reasons why the Gimpo Airport relocation is realistically difficult. First, the relocation must be included in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s comprehensive airport development plan. Second, the Ministry announced plans at the end of last year to build urban air mobility (UAM) takeoff and landing facilities around Gimpo Airport as part of mobility innovation projects. Third, Korea Airports Corporation is also promoting plans to develop Gimpo Airport as a UAM hub and foster future industries accordingly.

He emphasized that although candidate Lee mentioned the Gimpo Airport relocation issue, the policy decision belongs to the ruling party and the government.

Song Jae-ho, chairman of the Democratic Party’s Jeju provincial party, also stated, "If the government and ruling party say no to the airport relocation, it will not happen," and criticized the ruling party by saying, "Representative Lee Jun-seok is dividing people by region after dividing by gender."

Meanwhile, former Jeju provincial assembly member A criticized the Democratic Party’s Jeju provincial party for causing confusion over the Gimpo Airport relocation issue, saying, "Why did you make a pledge about something the opposition cannot do?" On the personal SNS of Jeju assembly member B, who criticized this, a heated debate with pro and con comments continues, highlighting the issue as a hot topic even within the Democratic Party.

Jeju = Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Chang-won captain@asiae.co.kr

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