"Call for Activation of Special Committee on Civil-Military Airport Integrated Relocation and Inter-Governmental Consultative Body"

Kang Ki-jung Sends Letter to Lee Jae-myung, Han Deok-soo
"Please Resolve at Democratic Central Party"
"Government Is the Main Party for Military-Civil Airport Relocation"

Gwangju Mayor Kang Ki-jung is delivering a letter to Kim Min-seok, Chief Supreme Council Member, on the 29th at the National Assembly, requesting Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, to form a special party committee and take action on the integrated relocation of civilian and military airports.
[Photo by Gwangju City]

On the 29th, Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-jung delivered a letter urging the government and the Democratic Party of Korea to actively support the integrated relocation of the civilian-military airport.

On the same day, Mayor Kang handed a letter to Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, requesting the formation of a ‘special committee’ at the central party level, and to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, asking for the ‘resumption of the intergovernmental consultative body operation.’

In the letter, Mayor Kang stated, “Gwangju has recently been receiving joyful news such as the Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to author Han Kang, consecutive wins by the KIA Tigers and Gwangju FC, overseas exports of the Casper electric vehicle produced by Gwangju Global Motors (GGM), a win-win job creation model, and the promotion of a complex shopping mall and the Gwangcheon-Sangmu subway line,” adding, “However, the issue of the integrated relocation of the civilian-military airport to Muan has still seen no progress, leaving citizens frustrated.”

He especially expressed regret, saying, “Although Gwangju City has achieved results such as the enactment of the ‘Gwangju Military Airport Special Act’ including government support beyond simple donation and transfer, the promise of integrated relocation to Muan together with Jeonnam Province, and direct communication with Muan residents, the relocation candidate site has still not been decided.”

He continued, “The resolution of the civilian-military airport issue will ultimately be possible through simultaneous efforts from both sides (줄탁동시, jul-tak-dong-si),” and emphasized, “The efforts of Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Muan will bear fruit only if the Democratic Party’s central party, which includes the heads of the three local governments, takes the lead. I ask the central party to respond by forming a ‘special committee.’”

Mayor Kang delivered the letter to Lee Jae-myung through Kim Min-seok, senior supreme council member. He appealed to Kim, saying, “I earnestly hope that the formation of a special committee at the Democratic Party level will untie the difficult knots between local governments and create a new turning point for the airport relocation.”

On the same day, Mayor Kang also delivered a letter with the same content to the Prime Minister’s Office and proposed the resumption of the ‘intergovernmental consultative body for military airport relocation’ led by the Office for Government Policy Coordination, which is currently suspended.

In the letter, Mayor Kang stated, “The government is the party responsible for the integrated civilian-military airport relocation,” and conveyed, “I firmly believe in President Yoon Suk-yeol’s promise that ‘the Ministry of National Defense will actively consult with Jeonnam Province and strive to enable the Gwangju airfield to be utilized for other purposes as soon as possible.’”

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