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Busan mayor says he will accept Gimhae New Airport

Posted June. 28, 2016 07:27,   

Updated June. 28, 2016 07:31

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“I still feel a bit regretful but I will accept the central government’s plan to construct Gimhae New Airport, in order to heal regional conflict and to achieve national unity.”

In his press conference at the city hall, Busan Mayor Seo Byung-soo said he would accept the planned expansion of Gimhae International Airport as the envisaged new airport for the Gyeongsang region. “Let’s us pool our energy and wisdom to ensure that Gimhae New Airport will become the focal point of shared-growth and cooperation for the Gyeongsang region and the start of joint prosperity for the next 100 years,” the mayor said.

Mayors and governors of metropolitan cities and provinces in the Gyeongsang region, who were in intensive conflict over their bids to attract the ‘new airport’ to their turfs, are now hurriedly moving to unite public opinions. Mayor Seo is the first to change his stance after having vowed that he would bet his mayor post in the bid to attract the new airport in Gadeok Island, ever since his election campaign for the Busan mayor in 2014.

“Given that the planned New Airport in Gadeok Island was meant for construction of an airport as a safe international gateway that can operate 24 hours a day, construction of New Gimhae Airport will not be a broken promise depending on whether it will prove to be a success or not,” the mayor told Monday’s press conference while adding that he would not resign as mayor.

“Let’s pool our energy to ensure successful construction and development of Gimhae New Airport. Let’s accept the plan to expand Gimhae Airport in order to achieve our shared vision,” Ulsan Mayor Kim Ki-hyun said. “It is time that metropolitan cities and provinces in the Gyeongsang region, which were confronting each other over the construction of a new airport, end conflict and join hands to ensure that the central government’s plan will be materialized without fail.” South Gyeongsang Mayor Hong Joon-pyo also expressed his intent to “accept” the new plan. In his Facebook post, Hong said, “Gimhae New Airport and the site for Miryang New Airport are only 25 kilometers away in straight-line distance. I have accepted the plan although it was a ‘political decision.’”

Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin and North Gyeongsang Governor Kim Kwan-yong tentatively decided to ‘conditionally accept the plan.’ “We have no choice but to waive our decision on whether to accept the plan until objective results come out to suggest that the expansion of Gimhae Airport can be an alternative to a new airport,” Kwon and Kim said. “If the expansion of Gimhae Airport can materialize the public’s aspiration for a new airport, we will not stubbornly insist on Miryang.”



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