“Reconsider Gaduk New Airport from the origin.” This is an editorial content of a daily newspaper published in Seoul. President Moon Jae-in’s visit to Gadeokdo Island and the Gadeok New Airport Special Act were criticized as “election populism.” The question is why we need an international airport where the peppers will dry. The perspective of the unipolar system in the metropolitan area is intact. With this logic, Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam cannot have a’safe’ airport forever. I want to ask the people’s strength in Daegu and Gyeongbuk (TK). Has PK ever begun to build a new Daegu-Gyeongbuk integrated airport that costs about 10 trillion won? Isn’t it the time to hold hands and grow pies for balanced national development?
Let’s consider the opposite logic of Gaduk. ① Total project cost. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport submitted a report to the National Assembly that it would cost up to 28 trillion won, four times more than Busan’s estimate, for the construction of Gadeok New Airport. It is the cost when the entire function of Gimhae Airport, including the military airport, is transferred. The city of Busan refutes it as “restriction.” This is because Gadeok plans to build only one international runway because it is difficult to relocate the military facilities at Gimhae Airport, a strategic base. In this case, there is little difference in cost from Gimhae Airport expansion (one new runway).
Even if military functions are transferred, additional government expenditures are not required in accordance with the principle of’donation versus transfer’. Donation versus transfer is to cover the profits obtained from developing Gimhae Airport with project expenses. The Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated New Airport also costs over 9 trillion won for the sale of Daegu Airport. Currently, large-scale history such as International Industrial Logistics City, Eco-Delta City, and Special R&D Zone are in progress around Gimhae Airport. Even if Gimhae Airport is deprecated, it is possible to cover the construction cost of Gaduk New Airport as it generates 10 to 15 trillion won of development profit.
② Traffic network. Another Seoul media outlet argues that “an astronomical amount of money is spent to connect the transportation network to Gaduk New Airport.” It is the duty of the state to make it easier to find infrastructure. Daegu City and Gyeongbuk also suggested to reflect the government’s wide-area transportation network construction plan with four roads and four railroad networks (total project cost of KRW 9.12 trillion) that can access the new integrated airport in Andong, Gimcheon, Gumi, Pohang, Yeongcheon, and Seongju. . Gadeok New Airport has a much better location. “Since the railroads and roads that lead to the Busan New Port only need to be connected to Gadeokdo Island, which is only a few kilometers away, the actual cost is inevitably lower (Gyeongnam Province Governor Kim Kyung-soo).
③ Safety and environment. The discussion of Gadeok New Airport began in earnest in 2002. On April 15 of that year, a Chinese civilian aircraft departing from Beijing, China, tried to land at Gimhae Airport through bad weather, and crashed into Mt. Many pilots pointed out Gimhae Airport, which is surrounded by mountains, as “Avoidance No. 1”. The conclusion was “a 24-hour airport that is safe and has less noise damage”. This is the reason why Gadeokdo Island, which is connected to the land with the sea on three sides, emerged.
Experts agree that it is possible to resolve the concerns of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport that “if the sea is reclaimed, there is a high possibility of differential settlement (a phenomenon in which the amount of subsidence of the ground occurs differently).” Gaya Kim, chairman of the Busan Ulnam-Gyeongnam branch of the Korean Society of Civil Engineers, said, “Japan’s Kansai International Airport, which has a worse geographical condition than Gadeokdo Island, was completed in six years. The water depth that needs to be reclaimed for the runway is only 12 to 22 meters, so there is no technical problem.” Busan City said, “Since 57% of the new airport’s planned site is landfilled, only 43% is landfilled, so there is no major safety problem. The assertion of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport that Gadeokdo Island is an open sea was also wrong. Just look at the map of how close it is to the land.”
In terms of safety, the expansion of Gimhae Airport is more worrisome. The biggest problem with the expansion plan of Gimhae Airport, which was announced in November of last year by the verification committee of the Prime Minister’s Office, was the theft of obstacles. Numerous mountains must be cut to remove obstacles that may collide with the aircraft. This means that the environmental problems caused by the harvesting of mountains or reclamation at sea could become even bigger when Gimhae Airport is expanded.
④ Noise. According to the Busan Aviation Administration, the area affected by aircraft noise at Gimhae Airport was 40.12 km2 as of last year, and the number of victims was 79968. As aircraft operations increase by expanding Gimhae Airport, the victim population also increases exponentially. In February of this year, the Supreme Court ruled, “The government should compensate the residents of the village of Tanchi, 600 meters from Gimhae Airport.” As of 2014, Danchi Village recorded 93.2 wackles of aircraft noise, making it the most noisy village in the country. Sea airport is the right answer to reduce noise damage.
Now is the time to work together to minimize the damage caused by Gaduk New Airport. The government and Busan City should pay special attention to minimizing environmental damage and appropriate compensation to the natives of Gadukdo. Let’s also consider carbon reduction measures for increased flights. Procedural justification should also be enhanced in the process of preliminary feasibility review (basic plan), strategic environmental impact assessment, and basic and detailed design in order to prevent deterioration. Political circles also look forward to seeing Gadeok New Airport, which will become the growth engine of Southeastern mega cities, from the perspective of national competitiveness. It is so nice that not only the ruling party but also the prospective candidates of the opposition party’s Busan Mayor responded, saying, “We will form a first-party consultative body” and “we must make the first move as soon as possible”. Gadeok New Airport is the first step for balanced development as well as resolving concentration in the metropolitan area. Lee No-Sung Digital Director
 |
|
| Port of Gadeokdo Island, Gangseo-gu, Busan, where Gadeok New Airport is located. Reporter Jeon Min-cheol |
 |
|
| Lee No-Sung Digital Director |