[THE INVESTOR] The government will decided on a relocation site for Daegu airport in the next couple of months, a source said on July 12.

The relocation project has been put on a fast track after President Park Geun-hye called on her government July 11 to forge ahead with the move.

The project has been long cherished by residents in Daegu, some 302 kilometers south of Seoul. The residents have complained of aircraft noise, development restrictions and other issues associated with the airport and military facilities in their neighborhood.

“Many provincial governments are interested (in hosting the airport),” a senior official at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae told Yonhap News Agency over the phone, declining to be named.

“The process of selecting a site for the relocation is expected to take one or two months, and (the government) plans to select the site as soon as possible,” the official added.

To pick the optimal site, the government plans to set up a task force consisting of officials from related ministries including the ministry of national defense and the ministry of land, infrastructure and transport.

As the new airport is to be used by some 5.5 million residents in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the government considers the proximity to the region a top priority. It seeks to select a site located within less than an hour drive from the region.

Potential candidate sites include Yeongcheon, Gunwi, Uiseong, Chilgok and Yecheon, all of which are in North Gyeongsang Province.

The municipality in Daegu will finance the construction of all airport facilities at the new site with profits from the development of the current airport site, officials said.

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)