[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Gwak Sang-do, a member of the People Power Party and chairman of the Daegu City Party Committee, will propose the "Miryang New Airport Special Act" next month. Some People Power Party lawmakers from the Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) region are joining in opposition to the "Gadeok New Airport Special Act" promoted by the Democratic Party.
On the 26th, Representative Gwak said in a phone interview with Asia Economy, "It has already been verified that the Gadeok New Airport fundamentally lacks economic feasibility," adding, "We are preparing the Miryang New Airport Special Act and organizing co-sponsoring lawmakers. Some TK lawmakers are participating."
The Democratic Party has declared that the Gadeok New Airport Special Act will pass in the next extraordinary session of the National Assembly. Representative Gwak said, "(The Miryang New Airport Special Act) will also be discussed together in the National Assembly and will be proposed without delay."
In 2016, the government decided to expand Gimhae Airport instead of the previously considered sites of Gadeokdo in Busan and Miryang in Gyeongnam for the Southeast region new airport. However, at the end of last year, the Prime Minister's Office verification committee announced a "fundamental re-examination" result. As the weight shifted with not only the Democratic Party but also People Power Party lawmakers from Busan proposing the Gadeok New Airport Special Act, efforts are being made to change the trend.
Representative Gwak said, "Conflicts between regions have inevitably always existed. Isn't there opposition to the Gadeok New Airport even in Incheon?" In early December last year, when the chairpersons of city and provincial councils nationwide declared support for the Gadeok New Airport, the chairpersons from Daegu, Gyeongbuk, and Incheon did not participate.
Ahead of the Busan mayoral by-election, while the Democratic Party is going all out to promote the Gadeok New Airport, the People Power Party is showing a stance that there is no need to place excessive significance on it. They have shown a negative reaction to the Gadeok New Airport Special Act. On the 22nd, Joo Ho-young, the floor leader of the People Power Party and a lawmaker from Daegu Suseong-gu Gap, said, "There is no discussion on policies to respond to the Gadeokdo New Airport; rather, we are considering whether it is possible to create individual laws and the precedent of carrying out projects without preliminary feasibility studies," adding, "Do we make laws every time there is a national project?"
People Power Party candidates for Busan mayor and local lawmakers have expressed concerns. Park Hyung-joon, a professor at Dong-A University running in the Busan by-election, recently said in a media interview, "The party seems to lack understanding of the significance of the Gadeok New Airport," and Jang Je-won, a lawmaker from Busan Sasang-gu, criticized on Facebook on the 21st, "There is no policy support at the central party level for the decline of Busan's economy, including the new airport issue."
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