"Extend Ulleung Airport Runway to Protect Residents' Right to Survival and Territorial Sovereignty"... Pan-County Rally Held

The Ulleung Airport Runway Extension Promotion Committee (the Promotion Committee) held a pan-county rally on May 21, attended by over 300 people, including County Governor Nam Hankwon, Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly member Nam Jinbok, Ulleung County Council Chairman Lee Sangsik, and local residents, to urge the central government and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to make a substantive policy decision.

Lee Jungtae, chief committee member of the promotion committee, is performing a head-shaving ceremony while appealing for runway extension. Photo by Kyungho Ahn

This rally was organized to call for infrastructure that would guarantee the right to survival for Ulleung residents and protect territorial sovereignty over Dokdo and the East Sea. It also aimed to demand a concrete policy decision from the central government and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The purpose was to convey to the government and the public the urgency and desperation of extending the Ulleung Airport runway.

In a statement of resolve, Lee Jungtae, chief committee member of the Promotion Committee, said, "Ulleung Airport is not merely a means of transportation. We do not want a superficial airport; we want a practical and safe real runway that is part of our lives and serves as a breakwater to protect our land."

Kim Yunbae, co-chairperson, stated, "A runway that is only 1.2 kilometers long cannot withstand the climate changes of the East Sea. The government must not continue to remain unresponsive and should quickly establish a safety net."

Hong Seonggeun, co-chairperson, emphasized, "Ulleungdo is not a remote island. Our demands are an urgent outcry for the future of the nation."

Park Seonok, co-chairperson, appealed, "The reality that women and children have to wait helplessly and cannot reach the mainland due to unfortunate weather must certainly change. The extension of the Ulleung Airport runway is an issue that concerns the survival and human rights of all citizens."

Jeong Jangho, co-chairperson, stated, "Thirteen years ago, we fought with nothing but the conviction to build an airport on this land, and as a result, we achieved the dream of constructing the airport. However, the safety issue of the runway remains an unresolved challenge. An airport that succumbs to bad weather can never be considered a completed airport."

Participants on this day agreed that the head-shaving ceremony performed by chief committee member Lee Jungtae was "the desperate cry of Ulleung residents who have reached the limits of their patience, and the final message to the central government."

The Promotion Committee has also delivered signatures from over 4,000 residents to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the National Assembly. On May 17, they held a performance on Dokdo, the nation’s island, to call for the extension of the runway.