ID :
171907
Wed, 03/30/2011 - 13:38
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/171907
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea scraps plan to build new int'l airport
(ATTN: UPDATES with reactions from politicians in paras 10-16)
SEOUL (Yonhap) - South Korea decided Wednesday to scrap its plan to build a new international airport in the nation's southeast region as two candidate sites failed to meet requirements for economic and environmental feasibility, triggering strong outcry from regional residents and politicians.
A total of 35 candidate sites had been reviewed but were whittled down to two -- Miryang, a city 386 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and Gadeok Island close to the country's largest port city of Busan.
"In three categories, Miryang received a combined 39.9 points and Gadeok Island 38.8 points. We decided the two candidates were not suitable (for the airport) as they have geographic disadvantages that could possibly cause excessive costs and an impact on the environment," said Park Chang-ho, head of the government's evaluation team for the new international airport.
A committee comprised of about 30 policymakers and civilian experts launched its final review of the two candidate sites last week. The review was mainly focused on the airport's management, economic feasibility and effect on society and the environment.
Some experts worried that building an airport on the man-made Gadeok Island could cause safety problems due to allegedly overlapping air routes with military aircraft, while others claim that it lacks accessibility as the site is far away from major cities in the region.
Construction in Miryang would also require cutting into mountains to make way for runways and airport terminals, raising concerns over environmental problems.
The multi-billion dollar project was first proposed in 2006 by the Roh Moo-hyun government to build an airport in the southeastern region, called "Yeongnam" in Korean, that includes South and North Gyeongsang Provinces. Under the plan, Korea would construct a 6.6 million-square-meter airport in the region at a cost of 10 trillion won (US$8.9 billion) by 2025.
President Lee Myung-bak promised to go ahead with the project during his campaign, saying that it would boost the economy of the region, home to 13 million people and the stronghold for the ruling Grand National Party (GNP).
Controversy, however, had been brewing over whether and where the airport should be located as competition intensified among candidate regions. President Lee earlier said the selection must be made in a legitimate, reasonable way and not through politicking.
The decision to scrap the airport construction project drew a strong outcry from political, civic and municipal government officials who have long sought to host what they believe could serve as another major gateway to the nation, along with Incheon International Airport, and give an economic boost to their hometowns.
"It is betrayal to the people not to fulfill a campaign pledge of the president and the ruling party," Rep. Park Jong-keun, a lawmaker of the governing GNP based in Daegu, said in a telephone interview with Yonhap News Agency. Daegu, the country's third-largest city, has supported Miryang's bid to host the new airport, along with the southeastern port city of Ulsan.
"We must push for the project in the next administration if the current government cannot," Park said.
Angry GNP representatives in Busan held an emergency meeting with city officials to discuss measures against the government decision.
"We cannot hide our embarrassment and anger at the fact that the government missed an important chance for a policy decision and reached an ambiguous conclusion," GNP lawmaker Suh Byung-soo told Yonhap.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) also lambasted the government.
"Public confidence in the president who betrayed the public trust in him will nosedive to the ground," party spokeswoman Cha Young said.
Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik apologized to the residents of the southeastern region for the botched project and asked for their understanding.
"I feel sorry for all the people, including residents of the provincial region, for the government's failure to push for its plan to build a new international airport," Kim said in a statement.
"But I want you to understand that the government also suffered much pain because it could not easily overlook the question of the economic and technological feasibility in pushing for a large-scale state project," he said.
The government, instead, will come up with necessary measures to improve existing airports in the region and ease inconveniences felt by regional airport passengers, the prime minister said.
Observers say the government will likely instead push to expand the handling capacity of an airport in Gimhae, located near Busan, to handle rising demand for flights in and out of the region.
Skeptics, however, doubt its feasibility, saying the airport cannot be in operation around the clock due to noise problems at night for nearby residents, which will reduce the overall handling capacity. It also has to resolve the issue in connection with its current use of runways with military aircraft.
Meanwhile, most of South Korea's airports, except those in Incheon and Gimhae, have been reeling from ballooning deficits due to sluggish demand. South Korea recently decided to sell its operating right to an airport in Cheongju, located 137 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
SEOUL (Yonhap) - South Korea decided Wednesday to scrap its plan to build a new international airport in the nation's southeast region as two candidate sites failed to meet requirements for economic and environmental feasibility, triggering strong outcry from regional residents and politicians.
A total of 35 candidate sites had been reviewed but were whittled down to two -- Miryang, a city 386 kilometers southeast of Seoul, and Gadeok Island close to the country's largest port city of Busan.
"In three categories, Miryang received a combined 39.9 points and Gadeok Island 38.8 points. We decided the two candidates were not suitable (for the airport) as they have geographic disadvantages that could possibly cause excessive costs and an impact on the environment," said Park Chang-ho, head of the government's evaluation team for the new international airport.
A committee comprised of about 30 policymakers and civilian experts launched its final review of the two candidate sites last week. The review was mainly focused on the airport's management, economic feasibility and effect on society and the environment.
Some experts worried that building an airport on the man-made Gadeok Island could cause safety problems due to allegedly overlapping air routes with military aircraft, while others claim that it lacks accessibility as the site is far away from major cities in the region.
Construction in Miryang would also require cutting into mountains to make way for runways and airport terminals, raising concerns over environmental problems.
The multi-billion dollar project was first proposed in 2006 by the Roh Moo-hyun government to build an airport in the southeastern region, called "Yeongnam" in Korean, that includes South and North Gyeongsang Provinces. Under the plan, Korea would construct a 6.6 million-square-meter airport in the region at a cost of 10 trillion won (US$8.9 billion) by 2025.
President Lee Myung-bak promised to go ahead with the project during his campaign, saying that it would boost the economy of the region, home to 13 million people and the stronghold for the ruling Grand National Party (GNP).
Controversy, however, had been brewing over whether and where the airport should be located as competition intensified among candidate regions. President Lee earlier said the selection must be made in a legitimate, reasonable way and not through politicking.
The decision to scrap the airport construction project drew a strong outcry from political, civic and municipal government officials who have long sought to host what they believe could serve as another major gateway to the nation, along with Incheon International Airport, and give an economic boost to their hometowns.
"It is betrayal to the people not to fulfill a campaign pledge of the president and the ruling party," Rep. Park Jong-keun, a lawmaker of the governing GNP based in Daegu, said in a telephone interview with Yonhap News Agency. Daegu, the country's third-largest city, has supported Miryang's bid to host the new airport, along with the southeastern port city of Ulsan.
"We must push for the project in the next administration if the current government cannot," Park said.
Angry GNP representatives in Busan held an emergency meeting with city officials to discuss measures against the government decision.
"We cannot hide our embarrassment and anger at the fact that the government missed an important chance for a policy decision and reached an ambiguous conclusion," GNP lawmaker Suh Byung-soo told Yonhap.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) also lambasted the government.
"Public confidence in the president who betrayed the public trust in him will nosedive to the ground," party spokeswoman Cha Young said.
Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik apologized to the residents of the southeastern region for the botched project and asked for their understanding.
"I feel sorry for all the people, including residents of the provincial region, for the government's failure to push for its plan to build a new international airport," Kim said in a statement.
"But I want you to understand that the government also suffered much pain because it could not easily overlook the question of the economic and technological feasibility in pushing for a large-scale state project," he said.
The government, instead, will come up with necessary measures to improve existing airports in the region and ease inconveniences felt by regional airport passengers, the prime minister said.
Observers say the government will likely instead push to expand the handling capacity of an airport in Gimhae, located near Busan, to handle rising demand for flights in and out of the region.
Skeptics, however, doubt its feasibility, saying the airport cannot be in operation around the clock due to noise problems at night for nearby residents, which will reduce the overall handling capacity. It also has to resolve the issue in connection with its current use of runways with military aircraft.
Meanwhile, most of South Korea's airports, except those in Incheon and Gimhae, have been reeling from ballooning deficits due to sluggish demand. South Korea recently decided to sell its operating right to an airport in Cheongju, located 137 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
