Lee Jae-myung Reaffirms 'Gimpo Airport Relocation' Pledge... "Politics Is About Creating New Paths"

Promise to Reiterate the Pledge to Relocate Gimpo Airport

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for the Incheon Gyeyang by-election, is holding the hand of a resident after announcing the "Subway Line 9 Gyeyang Extension Pledge" near the Gimpo Urban Railway Depot in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon on the 29th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Nayeon] Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate for the Incheon Gyeyang-eul by-election (General Standing Election Countermeasures Committee Chairman), once again promised to pursue the relocation of Gimpo Airport after being elected. The People Power Party is launching a full-scale offensive, arguing that Lee’s pledge to relocate Gimpo Airport is unrealistic.

On the afternoon of the 29th, candidate Lee held a press conference near Gaehwa Station on Seoul Subway Line 9 in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, and promised to extend Line 9 to Incheon Gyeyang Technovalley, mentioning the Gimpo Airport relocation pledge once again.

Lee said, "We will relocate Gimpo Airport, which is causing noise and underdevelopment, to complete the development of Gyeyang and Incheon, as well as the western metropolitan area. If Gimpo Airport is relocated and integrated into Incheon Airport, the Yeongjong Free Economic Zone can significantly expand the scale of the 'airport economic zone.' This will become a new growth engine for Incheon and the nation," he stated.

He added, "Some people worry that the number of tourists to Jeju will decrease and that residents in the eastern part of Seoul will have reduced airport accessibility. However, if the airport railroad express service is promptly implemented and the GTX-D Y line is swiftly constructed, access from Seoul to Incheon Airport will be faster," he said. "According to a 2013 study, the estimated loss due to height restrictions at Gimpo Airport in the western region was as much as 59 trillion won. Relocating the airport means we can immediately gain an economic effect of 59 trillion won," he explained.

He continued, "Politics is about creating new paths. It is about accomplishing difficult tasks, not giving up because they are hard, and doing things that are unpleasant or burdensome instead of avoiding them. With strong driving force, I will enable Incheon and Gyeyang to soar," he added.

Candidate Lee and Song Young-gil, the Democratic Party candidate for Seoul mayor, signed a policy agreement on the 27th, pledging to relocate Gimpo Airport and develop the western metropolitan area. Instead, they proposed using Cheongju International Airport for the Seoul Gangnam area and Wonju Airport for the eastern area.

Meanwhile, on the 29th, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, referred to Lee’s 'Gimpo Airport relocation' pledge as "a fragmented identity" directed at the Democratic Party of Korea.

Lee said, "Song Young-gil, the Seoul mayoral candidate, and Lee Jae-myung say they will close Gimpo Airport and have Seoul citizens use Cheongju and Wonju airports. Oh Young-hoon, the Jeju governor candidate, argues that this pledge is an uncoordinated overreach, and Kim Dong-yeon, the Gyeonggi governor candidate, says the function of Seongnam Seoul Airport should be relocated to Gimpo Airport. No matter how you analyze it, two of these four people are either liars or just talking nonsense," he stated.

Earlier, Lee canceled some scheduled events on the 28th and held an emergency press conference at Jeju International Airport.

Lee said, "The vertical takeoff and landing that the candidate claims has never been applied to passenger planes and is a method used only by some military aircraft taking off from aircraft carriers," adding, "It is a method that cannot carry more than 10 people. Even if it were possible, the fuel cost would be nearly six times higher than that of regular planes, so airfare to Jeju would inevitably skyrocket," he explained.