[Exclusive] "I Want to Work Near My Hometown" Why 2,000 People Flocked to Busan Gadeokdo New Airport Construction Corporation

Local Talent Shows Keen Interest in Corporation Recruitment

Nearly 2,000 applicants flocked to the Busan Gadukdo New Airport Construction Corporation's experienced worker recruitment in the first half of this year. The recruitment quota was 39, down from 56 in the second half of last year. Nevertheless, the number of applicants far exceeded last year's level (around 1,880) due to salaries significantly higher than the regional average and the attraction of talent with ties to Busan.

The corporation is a public institution under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, launched in April last year to build the Gadukdo New Airport. Experienced workers from about 43 major public institutions nationwide, including Incheon International Airport Corporation, Korea Airports Corporation, and Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), work here. As of the 2nd, the number of employees is only 95.

Like last year, all hires in the first half of this year are experienced workers. The corporation designed salaries at a level similar to that of Incheon International Airport Corporation and the Korea National Railway Corporation. Since the plan is to build an international airport, the government raised salary levels to attract competent experienced workers.

Gadeokdo New Airport Construction Corporation will publicly recruit 39 experienced professionals in the first half of 2025. The positions cover 14 fields including administration, civil engineering, and architecture. Applications are accepted online from the 20th of last month until the 3rd of this month. After document screening and interviews, the final successful candidates will be announced on June 10. Screenshot from the Gadeokdo New Airport Construction Corporation website.

Until last year, many hires were talents with ties to Busan. The corporation cited the advantage that employees can be stationed permanently in Busan without rotational work, allowing local talents to settle stably.

The symbolism of establishing a new gateway airport in the southeastern region, along with the creation of quality jobs amid concerns over regional extinction, also appears to attract those from Busan. A corporation official said, "Although the initial phase involves some hardships, the pride of being a founding member and the expectation of growth into an operating institution seem to have influenced the increase in applicants."

The corporation plans to actively promote the selection of local talents in the first-ever new employee recruitment scheduled for the second half of this year. The corporation stated, "The scale of new hires is being reviewed between 10 and 20."

The Gadukdo New Airport Construction Corporation is pushing forward with the construction of a new airport in the Gadukdo area of Gangseo-gu, Busan, aiming for opening by the end of 2029. The government plans to develop this site as a southern gateway airport and a 24-hour Sea&Air complex logistics hub, utilizing it as a base for balanced national development.

Last year, Busan became the first among the six major metropolitan cities nationwide to be included in the extinction risk areas. According to the Korea Employment Information Service, as of March last year, Busan's extinction risk index was 0.49, entering the extinction risk stage (0.2?0.5). The closer this index is to 0, the greater the risk of extinction. At the same time, the proportion of the population aged 65 and over in Busan was 23%, making it the only metropolitan city to enter a super-aged society. With low birth rates, aging, and population outflow to the metropolitan area overlapping, Busan's population is declining. The total population, which had increased to 3.88 million in 1995, dropped to 3.49 million in 2016 and fell below 3.3 million to 3.29 million in 2023.