Gimpo airport relocation pledge emerges as hot issue in local elections

May 31, 2022, 08:30 am

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People Power Party’s Seoul Mayor candidate Oh Se-hoon (second from left) speaks at a press conference held to prevent the relocation of Gimpo Airport at the domestic departure hall of Gimpo Airport in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on May 30, 2022./ Photographed by Song Eui-joo

AsiaToday reporter Kim Na-ri

A proposal by the Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung to relocate Seoul’s Gimpo Airport has emerged as one of the hottest issues ahead of the June 1 local elections. The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has been denouncing the proposal, saying it will hit the tourism industry in the southern resort island of Jeju. On the other hand, the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) is blocking the attack, but there is growing criticism within the party.

The controversy started when Lee Jae-myung, the DP candidate for a parliamentary seat in the Gyeyang-B district in Incheon, and Song Young-gil, its Seoul mayor candidate, jointly put forward the pledge to move Gimpo Airport into Incheon International Airport and develop the area for housing and businesses. The problem is that the pledge itself is causing conflicts with other proposals of the DP candidates in Gyeonggi Province to transfer Seoul Airport in Seongnam to Gimpo Airport. Besides, there are concerns that the number of tourists to Jeju may decrease if Gimpo Airport’s domestic airlines are transferred to Incheon Airport. The DP candidates in Jeju island are protesting against it, and the PPP is criticizing the pledge as well, drawing heated debate ahead of the local elections.

On Monday, the PPP’s Seoul Mayor candidate Oh Se-hoon, Gyeonggi Governor candidate Kim Eun-hye, and Jeju-B district candidate Bu Sang-il held a joint press conference at Gimpo Airport to criticize the Gimpo Airport relocation proposal. “There must be plans on how they envision to revive the economy, but everything was engulfed under the issue on Gimpo Airport,” Oh said. “How vain and extravagant would this debate look to common people and the weak who work painstakingly every day? The bigger problem is that this pledge is the two candidates’ hastily drafted campaign pledge,” he said.

“The DP is virtually threatening voters by saying that it will make such an important decision to relocate Gimpo Airport based on local support for the party,” said PPP floor leader Kwon Seong-dong at a field meeting held in Daejeon. “Will you leave Daejeon’s fate up to the political force that changes its words depending on its political situation?”

As the relocation pledge is becoming a nationwide issue, the DP is scratching its head. Candidate Lee Jae-myung is pushing ahead with the pledge, but the DP’s leadership is concerned that it may turn into bad news at the end of the local elections considering that economic damage to other regions is inevitable.

Kim Min-seok, head of the general election division, came forward to pacify the party’s candidates in Jeju region, saying the opposition bloc has made an excessive issue of an early-stage research project rather than a pledge. Rep. Yoon Ho-joong also said in a radio interview that the relocation plan is not a pledge of the central party.

As voices of dissent are growing within the party, candidate Song Young-gil,took a step back, saying that the pledge requires public opinion. “We will obviously listen opinions from residents of the capital region, Chungcheong, Honam and Jeju before publicizing it. We will not proceed without the consent of people in Jeju,” Song said.

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