The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is troubled by the mixed pros and cons of Jeju 2 Airport…”Business disruption is inevitable”

A high-ranking official of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport was quite embarrassed about the results of the opinion poll on the construction of the second airport in Jeju, announced the day before (18th). He also said, “It is difficult to judge because the pros and cons are too vague.” Another official also complained that it was “worrisome.”

In fact, two public opinion polling agencies (Gallup Korea and Embrain Public) asked 2,000 Jeju residents and 500 residents of Seongsan-eup about the pros and cons of Jeju 2 Airport, and as a result, residents had a lot of opposition at the level of going in and out of the sample error.

Gallup Korea had 44.1% for and 47.0% for opposition within the margin of error (±2.19%), and in the Mbrain Public survey, the opposition was 51.5%, out of favor (43.8%) outside the margin of error (±2.2%). On the other hand, in the survey of Seongsan-eup residents, both organizations agreed with 60%, twice as much as opposed (30%).

Regarding these results, Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong said on the 19th, “We will quickly deliver the results of the investigation as they are to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport through a joint process management committee in consultation with the Jeju-do Council. We look forward to a wise decision from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.” Announced.

Governor Won did not disclose how to interpret the poll results. However, Ko Gyeong-ho, the public official of Jeju Island, said, “There is no change in the position of the province that the poll results are simply for reference,” and said, “The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will request the promotion of the second airport project as planned.”

However, opposition parties, such as the Jeju 2nd Airport Forced Deterrence Emergency Civil Conference, have demanded that “if even 1% of the opposition comes out a lot, the project should be withdrawn” even before the results of the public opinion poll came out. They also held a press conference demanding the withdrawal of the business on the grounds that there was a lot of opposition from the investigation of Jeju residents.

It is pointed out that the opinion poll did not close the conflict in Jeju Island, but rather encouraged more conflict between regions. An official from Jeju-do said, “In Jeju City, there was a lot of opposition to the west and a lot of favor to the east.”

In this way, my position on Jeju Island became more confusing, and the ball was transferred to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is in a position to discuss countermeasures with related agencies such as the Ministry of Environment, but the prospect that it will be difficult to reach one side is predominant.

As the voices of opposition to the second airport project increased in Jeju Island, some officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, “What are you going to do with such a project? Let’s withdraw the business and drastically reduce the number of flights at Jeju Airport for safety.” .

An official in the aviation industry who requested anonymity said, “Unless the Jeju-do level can clearly gather opinions on the second airport, it is not easy to carry out the project. Even if the business proceeds as it is, it will inevitably lead to severe friction with the other side of the case.” “The second airport business seems inevitable for a considerable period of time,” he said.

Jeju 2nd Airport will invest 5 trillion won on a site of about 5.4 million square meters in Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si by 2025 to solve the problems of operation and safety due to the saturation of the existing Jeju Airport. It is a building business. The plan is to divide and accommodate flights to and from Jeju Island along with the existing airport.

Reporter Kang Gap-saeng [email protected]