4,000 Incheon Citizens Rally in Front of City Hall: "Stop the Hasty Airport Merger"

Park Chan-dae, Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, and Other Political Leaders Voice United Opposition
"Concerns Over Weakened Global Competitiveness of Incheon Airport"
Growing Backlash from the Local Community

Citizens and workers in Incheon, who oppose the government's ongoing discussions on the merger and consolidation of airport corporations, took to the streets to demand an immediate halt to the unilateral policy initiative.

From the left, Lee Myunghan, Chairman of Hanmaeum Incheon Airport Labor Union; Shin Yongdae, President of Incheon Christian Federation; Jo Goho, Executive Representative of Yeongjong National City Federation. Incheon International Airport Corporation Labor Union

The Incheon International Airport Corporation Labor Union announced on May 11 that it successfully concluded the "Incheon Airport Hasty Merger Opposition Rally for 3 Million Incheon Citizens" on May 10 at the plaza in front of Incheon City Hall, with the participation of around 4,000 citizens, workers, and members of civil society organizations.

This rally was organized to raise concerns about the government's plan to merge Incheon International Airport Corporation, Korea Airports Corporation, and the Gadeokdo New Airport Construction Corporation, and to protect the competitiveness of Incheon Airport and the local economy.

The event drew significant attention and concern from the local community, as evidenced by the attendance of Park Chan-dae, the Democratic Party's candidate for Mayor of Incheon, Yoo Jeong-bok, the current Mayor of Incheon, and Bae Jun-young, a lawmaker from the People Power Party. In his congratulatory remarks, Mayor Yoo emphasized, "The merger of Incheon Airport is a policy that damages Incheon's competitiveness and can never be accepted." Previously, on May 9, candidate Park had also signed a policy agreement with the Incheon International Airport Labor Union Federation opposing the airport merger.

Jang Ki-ho, Chairman of the Incheon International Airport Corporation Labor Union and organizer of the rally, strongly criticized the government's integration discussions in his opening speech. Chairman Jang stated, "The government is discussing the merger of Incheon International Airport Corporation, Korea Airports Corporation, and the Gadeokdo New Airport Construction Corporation without any form of social consensus. The airport merger currently under discussion is a misguided policy that undermines the competitiveness of South Korea's aviation industry and weakens Incheon Airport's global competitiveness."

He further warned, "If a hasty merger is implemented, it could seriously impact the entire local economy, including a reduction in jobs for Incheon citizens, contraction of local businesses, and stagnation of the tourism and logistics industries. Ultimately, the damage will fall squarely on the citizens of Incheon. This rally is not just an issue for the labor union but is the collective voice of citizens determined to protect Incheon's future. The government must immediately halt the unilateral merger discussions."

Participants chanted slogans such as "Stop the Incheon Airport Merger" and "End the Disregard for Incheon Citizens," pressuring the government. The Incheon International Airport Corporation Labor Union stated that it will continue to work in solidarity with local politicians and civil society to raise awareness about the problems with the merger initiative and to protect the local economy.

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