It was split into half of the public sentiment… The concerns of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport received again at Jeju 2nd Airport

On the 10th, the high ranking officials of the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs responded almost the same to Jeju Governor Won Heeryong’s announcement that “the construction of the second airport in Jeju will be pursued as planned.” Although it is a statement at the level of principle, a very embarrassing atmosphere was sensed behind it. One new airport policy official said, “I have a lot of worries about it.”

Jeju 2nd Airport is a 3,200m runway and a terminal by investing 5 trillion won on a site of about 5.4 million square meters in Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si by 2025 in order to solve the problems in operation and safety due to the saturation of the existing Jeju Airport. It is a project to build a lamp.

Although the establishment of the basic plan is almost finished, it has been in its position for almost two years as opposition from civic groups in the Jeju region has increased. According to Jeju Island, at the time of the announcement of the second airport plan, the approval ratio was greatly predominant, but opposition increased as concerns about environmental damage were raised later.

In this situation, the result of a poll for and against the construction of the second airport, announced on the 18th of last month, became more of a problem. In the survey of 2,000 Jeju residents, the opposition was somewhat greater within and outside the margin of error, but in the survey of Seongsan residents (500), the rate of approval was about twice as high as that of the opposition.

This is the reason why comments come out that it was an investigation that clearly showed only the split Jeju public sentiment. Governor Won also admitted, “The biggest feature of public opinion polls is that areas near the airport are overwhelmingly in favor, while areas far from the airport are predominantly opposed.” It means that the conflict between East and West over the new airport is rising.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which confirmed the results of the poll at the time, was also embarrassed. “It would have been better if it came out either in favor or against, but if this is the result, how do I judge it?”

This is why the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport requested Jeju Island to give an official position on the construction of the second airport by the 10th. Some of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said that it was expected that Jeju Island would not be able to give a clear answer in a situation where opinion polls were mixed.

However, when Governor Won announced the policy of “going as planned,” the gong was passed on to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. For the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, which is already struggling with the controversy over the new airport of Gadeokdo Island, it is inevitable that it will be quite difficult to resolve to the second airport in Jeju at the same time.

For this reason, experts point out that there is a high possibility that the Jeju 2nd Airport project will be delayed for a considerable period without such a conclusion. Professor Choi Yeon-cheol of Hanseo University said, “Gadeokdo New Airport, which is closely related to political issues such as by-election by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, will be a priority.” I think it seems,” he said.

Some point out that divided public sentiment is an obstacle. Professor Kim Byeong-jong of Korea Aviation University said, “Functionally, a second airport is necessary, but if there is a lot of opposition from the islanders, it will be difficult to break through.”

In fact, the “Jeju 2nd Airport Emergency Citizens’ Assembly,” composed of 130 civil society organizations in Jeju, held a press conference on the 12th and said, “In a public opinion poll, the citizens of Jeju chose opposition.” On the other hand, people in favor of Seongsan-eup residents are pressing, saying, “Promote the construction of the airport as planned.”

Therefore, some experts say, “It would be a realistic way to judge whether the project was promoted or not based on the result after requesting the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to reconsider the public sentiment related to the second airport in Jeju Island.” It means that it is difficult to rule out the possibility of a’ping pong game’ between the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Jeju Island over the second airport.

Transportation reporter Gap-saeng Kang [email protected]