The government has scrapped its plan to build a new international airport in the southeastern region, choosing instead to expand the existing airport in Busan.

The decision, which is exactly the same as the one made five years ago, was reached Monday based on a feasibility study carried out by ADPi, a French airport architecture and engineering company.

ADPi was expected to choose one of the two candidate sites for the new airport — Miryang, a town located between Busan and Daegu, and Gadeokdo Island in Busan. The French company, however, has concluded that expanding Gimhae International Airport in Busan is the best option to meet the region’s increasing demand for air traffic.

The conclusion is well-advised in light of the intense rivalry between the local governments involved in the battle over the 10 trillion-won ($8.7 billion) project.

Miryang has been supported by an alliance of four local governments — Daegu, Ulsan and South and North Gyeongsang provinces — as the rural town is located in the center of the region.

Gadeok Island has been favored by Busan as it is located in Korea’s largest port city. Busan has sought to relocate Gimhae International Airport to the island as the existing airport is crowded, difficult to access and not operable round the clock.

The five local governments agreed in January last year to refrain from excessively competing among themselves to host the new airport.

But they failed to observe the agreement, as competition intensified over the site selection. Politicians added fuel to the conflict. Lawmakers from Busan suspected the government would choose Miryang as it was backed by Daegu, the hometown of President Park Geun-hye. They have recently suggested they would not accept the outcome of the feasibility study if Miryang is selected.

The government would have faced a huge political backlash if either of the two candidate sites had been chosen. The decision to expand the existing airport was the right one in this sense.

But the government cannot escape criticism for repeating the same folly committed by the preceding administration five years ago.

The airport project was first floated by former President Roh Moo-hyun. In 2007, opposition presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak adopted the idea as an election pledge. After being elected president, Lee sought to put his promise into practice

Yet he had to scrap the scheme in 2011 as he faced the same dilemma that the incumbent government did. Lee apologized to the public for reneging on his campaign promise.

The issue was revived by the two candidates of the 2012 presidential election. Opposition candidate Moon Jae-in, who hails from the port city, promised to build a new airport on Gadeokdo Island, while Park pledged to build an airport at an ideal site chosen by top international experts.

The two candidates essentially pledged a pork-barrel project. Forgetting the debacle Lee had experienced, they recklessly committed themselves to a costly project that had already been shown to be infeasible. 

Park, as Lee did, should offer an apology to the public for causing unnecessary emotional conflict among residents of the Yeongnam region.

Now, residents and politicians in the region should respect the government’s decision. The government should draft plans to expand Gimhae International Airport swiftly to prevent politicians from reviving the issue again in the presidential election next year.