Lee Jun-seok's Trip to Jeju: "Lee Jae-myung and Song Young-gil Closed Gimpo Airport to Protect Their Own Interests"

"Sushi Restaurant Distance Reduces Consumption
Jeju Tourism Demand Drops as Gimpo Airport Gets Farther"

Oh Young-hwan Blames Lee Jun-seok for Gimpo Airport Pledge, Says "He Should Resign"

On the morning of the 31st, Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the People Power Party, held a press conference in front of the main gate of Jeju Provincial Office along with Heo Hyang-jin, the candidate for Governor of Jeju Province, and Boo Sang-il, the candidate for the Jeju-si Eul by-election, regarding the controversy over the pledge to relocate Gimpo Airport. 2022.5.31
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, visited Jeju a day before the June 1 local elections and strongly criticized the Democratic Party candidates' pledge to relocate Gimpo Airport.

At a press conference held in front of Jeju Provincial Office on the 31st, Lee said, "I know that many Jeju residents are outraged because the pledges of candidates Lee Jae-myung and Song Young-gil were made without considering the nationwide situation and only for their personal interests," emphasizing, "They say relocation, but in fact, it means the closure of Gimpo Airport."

He continued, "If the airport is closed, it will become difficult for residents of the metropolitan area to visit Jeju, and conversely, it will cause significant inconvenience when Jeju residents visit the metropolitan area. Therefore, the Jeju Provincial Party and our central party have decided to convert the Jeju election campaign committee into an emergency countermeasure committee with the determination to absolutely block this," adding, "We are taking this issue very seriously."

He further criticized, "Candidate Lee Jae-myung keeps making sophistry to effectively defend this absurd pledge. Now, the Democratic Party claims that after the closure of Gimpo Airport, the demand for Jeju tourism will remain unchanged, and even if people are sent to Wonju or Cheongju, they will still come back fully. This is nonsense," and said, "As I pointed out yesterday, isn't it natural that if the sushi restaurant that candidate Lee likes is farther away, he would eat less? Claiming that Jeju tourism demand will remain the same despite the airport being farther away is an ignorant idea that shows no understanding of the basic logic of supply and demand."

Lee said, "Candidate Lee should quickly withdraw such stubborn claims and sincerely apologize to the people of Jeju as well as to the residents of Seoul and Gyeonggi-do who will be affected, only then can this situation be resolved."

Regarding Oh Young-hwan, the Democratic Party candidate for Jeju Governor, whom Lee is demanding to resign, he said, "Candidate Lee made the pledge to close Gimpo Airport, and while saying it was wrong, he tells me to resign. I cannot explain where and how this is wrong," and sharply criticized, "Candidate Oh, just resign. It is embarrassing and shameful."

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