Construction of the Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport and the Gadeokdo New Airport
On May 15, the People Power Party announced its first set of regional pledges, unveiling its policy plans for the Yeongnam region.
First, the party pledged to build the Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport and the Gadeokdo New Airport. Centered around these new airports, it plans to establish a Northeast Asian logistics platform and create advanced industrial complexes.
The party also plans to build a GTX-class high-speed rail network and transfer system. Through this, it aims to connect Daegu-Gyeongbuk with Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam into a single daily living zone and to establish an ultra-wide-area rail network enabling travel between major hub cities within one hour.
Kim Moonsoo, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, is holding an emergency press conference at the National Assembly on the 15th. 2025.5.15 Photo by Kim Hyunmin
Each city in the Yeongnam region will be developed as a core hub for future industries, advanced technology, and the energy transition.
Specifically, Busan will be transformed into a center for finance, logistics, and new energy industries by relocating the headquarters of the Korea Development Bank to Busan and creating a financial cluster. This will be supported by the enactment of the "Special Act on the Creation of the Busan Global Hub City" and the implementation of the four-zero policy (zero taxes, zero regulations, zero visas, zero language barriers). Daegu will foster five major future industries?UAM (Urban Air Mobility), semiconductors, robotics, medical, and ABB (AI, Big Data, Blockchain)?to become a mega hub for new industries. Ulsan will be developed as the capital of future industries leading carbon neutrality and digital transformation, focusing on eco-friendly shipbuilding and a defense industry cluster.
Gyeongbuk will also establish an industrial ecosystem centered on clean energy and future materials. The party plans to create a clean hydrogen production cluster linked to the Uljin nuclear power plant, accelerate the early establishment of the four national industrial complexes (Yeongju, Andong, Uljin, Gyeongju), and expand SOC (social overhead capital). Gyeongnam will be transformed into an aerospace and digital-centered industrial city. The party will establish an Aerospace Administration to create a complex city and build a convergence cluster for materials, parts, and MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul).
The party also presented a vision to connect the entire Yeongnam region through a cultural network. Busan will be developed as a cultural content hub by constructing a National Video Museum and attracting a game complex cultural space. In Daegu, a National Museum of Modern Art will be built, and a musical complex will be established.
Finally, to ensure a healthy and safe life for the people, the party pledged to enact a special law to diversify water sources for the Nakdong River, restore areas damaged by wildfires, and strengthen environmental, medical, and welfare safety nets.
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