"Drying Peppers on the Runway?" Yoon Hee-sook Faces Ruling Party's "Do You Think Areas Outside Seoul Are Countryside?"

Yoon Hee-sook "Political airport built every election... Government must make a statement"

Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader, are attending the expanded executive meeting held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 20th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Yoon Hee-sook, a member of the People Power Party, sparked controversy by remarking that the Busan Gadeokdo New Airport could "end up being used for drying chili peppers." On the 24th, the Democratic Party expressed regret, saying, "Do you think everywhere outside Seoul is rural?"

Choi Ji-eun, the Democratic Party's international spokesperson, released a statement that morning, saying, "Gadeokdo is home to Busan New Port, which handles the world's sixth-largest container volume, and is adjacent to Noksan Industrial Complex and the Free Economic Zone Authority. It is the center of the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) megacity, where logistics and industry are dynamic."

Choi added, "Even though vaccine development is expected soon, if you oppose the Gadeokdo New Airport, which aims to be completed by the 2030 Expo despite reduced air travel demand due to COVID-19, then no institutional industry involving face-to-face contact can be invested in during the pandemic." She sarcastically said, "Are you going to dry chili peppers on the runway of Incheon Airport because of COVID-19?"

She continued, "While economic policies have been centered around the metropolitan area, South Korea has fallen into a serious polarization." She noted, "In the past, Busan accounted for a quarter of the country's exports, but now that ratio is less than 3%. As young people leave to find jobs, the aging rate has become one of the highest in the country."

She said, "Busan's situation is a problem for all regions of South Korea," and pointed out, "Even if you graduate from a local school, you should be able to find good jobs and have infrastructure to raise children well, but currently, South Korea suffers from severe regional imbalance."

Furthermore, Choi emphasized, "The Gadeokdo New Airport will be used not only by the 10 million people in the southeastern region but also by foreigners visiting the area, and it can attract transfer demand from overseas airlines. The Gadeokdo New Airport, through the linkage of a world-class port and international airport, will develop the southeastern region into a Northeast Asian logistics hub and attract advanced industries, serving as a beacon of balanced development that promotes even growth across South Korea."

Yoon Hee-sook, a member of the People Power Party, is questioning during the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee's audit of the Gwangju Regional Tax Office, Bank of Korea Gwangju Jeonnam Headquarters, and Mokpo Headquarters at the Government Gwangju Joint Office in Oryong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, on the morning of the 20th of last month.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, Yoon, chairman of the People Power Party's Economic Innovation Committee, criticized the construction of the Gadeokdo New Airport, saying, "Whether the airport will be activated or whether chili peppers will be dried on the runway depends on airlines opening routes, but it is inappropriate to hastily finalize plans by recklessly estimating air travel demand in the current situation." He added, "The Gadeokdo New Airport's feasibility, including the safety issues currently raised, needs to be carefully examined."

He also said, "For citizens who are fed up with political airports being built every election, it is time for the government to take a stance." He emphasized, "Whether it will be encouraged in the future to overturn already decided national projects for election purposes, how the government is designing the future of the aviation and airport industry and air routes in the post-COVID era, and what role the new airport will play in that context?if it is truly not for election purposes, the government must make a firm promise to the people to carefully examine its feasibility."