(2nd LD) S. Korean lawmakers heap criticism on government's reversal in airstrip row

(ATTN: RECASTS lead, para 3 to specify collision prevention measure, RESTRUCTURES to
show distance earlier; TRIMS)
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's ruling lawmakers joined opposition
rivals Monday in slamming the government's recent move to lift its 14-year-old
ban on the construction of a major skyscraper in the proximity of a key military
airstrip south of Seoul.
South Korea decided last week to consider slightly readjusting the double-runway
airfield to allow one of the country's biggest companies, Lotte Group, to build a
555-meter-tall tower within its operational vicinity.
The decision to turn one of the runways by three degrees to prevent collisions
came as President Lee Myung-bak has called for a "business-friendly" government
since taking office early last year.
Lawmakers of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) and the main opposition
Democratic Party (DP) said Monday the move undermines national security while
failing to address the safety of dignitaries using the airfield.
"This is a blow to our national security from within the government," DP
legislator Seo Jong-pyo said at a parliamentary hearing. The former four-star
general added the move sets a bad precedent because it gives the impression that
a company is buying out the interests of the military.
The airfield in the city of Seongnam sits less than 6 kilometers south of the
site where Lotte has pushed to build the tower that would be annexed to its
popular Lotte World theme park.
It has been integral to South Korea's capital defense, according to experts, and
presidents and high-level foreign guests have used it to avoid disrupting
operations at commercial airports.
Slamming the defense minister for not balking at the decision, GNP lawmaker Yoo
Seong-min said pilots would still have difficulty in landing or lifting off in
bad weather or at nighttime, especially during wartime.
"We cannot rule out the possibility of an airplane slamming into the building,"
GNP lawmaker Suh Chung-won said, joining Yoo in the criticism.
Minister Lee Sang-hee said that the installation of high-tech radars financed by
Lotte would guarantee safety, but the defense committee at the National Assembly
said it was not enough.
"Money isn't the issue here," DP legislator Ahn Gyu-baek said, accusing the
military of dropping its previous position to fall in line with the pro-business
stance of the conservative government.
The previous Roh Moo-hyun administration ruled against Lotte in 2007, siding with
the Air Force that complained of the potential safety hazard. But officials
mulled a reversal last year as Lotte said it would entirely assume the costs
involved in readjusting the airstrip.
On Sunday, a government source said the Air Force has proposed relocating the
presidential airplane to a different airport due to safety concerns.
The Ministry of National Defense rebutted it, saying that the readjustment would
guarantee safety if the measure is backed by cutting-edge equipment.
"What are you going to do about foreign airplanes that do not carry such
equipment?" GNP member Yoo said, arguing no other country has ever reshaped a
military airfield to accommodate a business interest.
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
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