Gyeonggi-do Holds First Public Forum for Residents to Resolve Urban Military Airport Issues

Gyeonggi Province held the first deliberative forum on the 29th for the relocation of the urban airport.

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has begun full-scale public deliberation by conducting the first deliberative discussion to resolve the issue of military airports within urban areas.

On the 29th, Gyeonggi Province announced on the 31st that it held the first deliberative discussion on the theme of "Major Issues and Problems Related to Military Airports in Urban Areas" at Gyeonggi Economic Science Promotion Agency’s Gwanggyo Hall in Suwon Gwanggyo Technovalley, attended by Deputy Governor Yeom Tae-young and 100 residents.

Earlier in August, the province selected "How to resolve the issue of military airports within urban areas" as the first agenda for the 'public deliberation project,' a social problem-solving initiative involving residents.

Since then, the province held the 1st and 2nd expert workshops (joint training) in September and October, centered on the Public Deliberation Promotion Team.

At the first deliberative discussion, Jeon Hyung-jun, a research fellow known as an expert on conflicts and public deliberation related to military airports (Korea George Mason University Asia Peace and Conflict Research Center), presented on the topic of "Major Issues of Military Airports in Urban Areas," introducing the necessity of public deliberation on military airport issues and considerations for alternatives to each problem.

Following this, the resident participation group and facilitators (assistants who help participants engage more actively in discussions) divided into teams to conduct subgroup discussions and then shared the results.

The discussion was broadcast live on YouTube, and the presenter answered questions from residents in real time regarding military airport issues within the city.

Through the roundtable meeting, the resident participation group emphasized the need for objective investigations into damages caused by military airports in urban areas and strengthening compensation for property rights and noise damages. They also insisted that related plans and information, such as military airport relocation, should be transparently disclosed, and residents’ opinions must be reflected in major decision-making processes. Additionally, they suggested providing prior information about benefits that could be received upon military airport relocation, opinions on integrated attraction with civilian airports, and expressed regret over the lack of participation from responsible bodies such as the Ministry of National Defense.

Before the deliberative discussion, from the 1st to the 11th of this month, 100 residents were selected as the resident participation group from four regions within the province?Gyeongbu area, Eastern area, Northern area, and West Coast area?considering gender, population distribution, and age. Those selected will participate in the second deliberative discussion scheduled for the 12th of next month following the first session.

The second deliberative discussion will be held under the theme "Key Considerations for Rational Resolution of Military Airport Issues in Urban Areas."

A provincial official explained, "We will have time to specify the improvements for the issues raised in the first deliberative discussion and the roles of each institution for exploring alternatives."

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