ID :
40065
Sun, 01/11/2009 - 20:04
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/40065
The shortlink copeid
S. Korean president likely to switch airport if skyscraper is allowed
SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's president may have to use a different
airport to ensure his safety if the government allows a local conglomerate to
raise an amusement tower near a military airstrip just outside Seoul, an official
said Sunday.
South Korea decided last week to consider slightly altering a small airstrip
south of Seoul to allow one of the country's biggest companies, Lotte Group, to
build a 555-meter-tall building nearby.
The two-runway airfield in the city of Seongnam sits less than 6 kilometers south
of the site where Lotte has pushed for years to build a tower that would be
annexed to its popular Lotte World theme park.
It has also served as an integral part of South Korea's capital defense,
according to experts, and presidents and foreign dignitaries have used it to
avoid disrupting operations at commercial airports.
"Because of the judgment that the new building may seriously hamper the safety of
airplanes, there has been a suggestion that Air Force One needs to be relocated
to the Gimpo Airport" just west of Seoul, the official said, asking not to be
named.
The Gimpo airport was South Korea's foremost international gateway before losing
its place to Incheon International Airport, about 30 kilometers west of Seoul, in
2001.
The Wednesday decision by the prime minister's office to consider turning one of
the runways in Seongnam by three degrees to ensure safety came as President Lee
Myung-bak has called for a "business-friendly" government since taking power
early last year.
The previous Roh Moo-hyun administration ruled against Lotte in 2007, siding with
the Air Force that complained of potential safety hazard. But officials said last
year they were mulling a reversal as Lotte says it will entirely assume the costs
involved in readjusting the airstrip.
Lotte Group, founded by a Korean businessman in Japan, is one of South Korea's
largest family-run businesses, overseeing about 50 subsidiaries ranging from
retail and finances to hotels and entertainment. Lotte World, which opened next
to a shopping mall in 1989 in southeastern Seoul, is estimated to draw 5 million
visitors each year.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
airport to ensure his safety if the government allows a local conglomerate to
raise an amusement tower near a military airstrip just outside Seoul, an official
said Sunday.
South Korea decided last week to consider slightly altering a small airstrip
south of Seoul to allow one of the country's biggest companies, Lotte Group, to
build a 555-meter-tall building nearby.
The two-runway airfield in the city of Seongnam sits less than 6 kilometers south
of the site where Lotte has pushed for years to build a tower that would be
annexed to its popular Lotte World theme park.
It has also served as an integral part of South Korea's capital defense,
according to experts, and presidents and foreign dignitaries have used it to
avoid disrupting operations at commercial airports.
"Because of the judgment that the new building may seriously hamper the safety of
airplanes, there has been a suggestion that Air Force One needs to be relocated
to the Gimpo Airport" just west of Seoul, the official said, asking not to be
named.
The Gimpo airport was South Korea's foremost international gateway before losing
its place to Incheon International Airport, about 30 kilometers west of Seoul, in
2001.
The Wednesday decision by the prime minister's office to consider turning one of
the runways in Seongnam by three degrees to ensure safety came as President Lee
Myung-bak has called for a "business-friendly" government since taking power
early last year.
The previous Roh Moo-hyun administration ruled against Lotte in 2007, siding with
the Air Force that complained of potential safety hazard. But officials said last
year they were mulling a reversal as Lotte says it will entirely assume the costs
involved in readjusting the airstrip.
Lotte Group, founded by a Korean businessman in Japan, is one of South Korea's
largest family-run businesses, overseeing about 50 subsidiaries ranging from
retail and finances to hotels and entertainment. Lotte World, which opened next
to a shopping mall in 1989 in southeastern Seoul, is estimated to draw 5 million
visitors each year.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
