Politically motivated project to build airport on island of Gadeokdo hits snag
A state project to open a new airport early on Gadeokdo, an island in Busan, has run into a glitch.
A consortium led by Hyundai Engineering & Construction, the preferred bidder for the project, submitted the basic design plan to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Monday.
The key point of the plan is that the construction period needs to be extended to nine years from the seven years the government required in the notice of tender.
It also said that the 10.5 trillion won ($7.3 billion) budget for site construction should be increased by 1 trillion won.
The government demanded in its notice of tender that a runway and a terminal should be built first to open the airport by December 2029 and that the whole project should be completed within seven years after the start of construction.
The consortium effectively said those goals are impossible to achieve.
This was anticipated to some extent.
In 2016, when the Park Geun-hye administration was looking for a new airport site in the southeastern region of the country, Gadeokdo was appraised as the least suitable among three candidate sites and was thrown out. But a plan to build a new airport on the island was resurrected thanks to political populism.
In 2021, ahead of the Busan mayoral by-election, the two main political parties utilized the Gadeokdo New Airport project as a means to win the hearts of voters. The then-ruling Democratic Party of Korea pushed for a special law to build the airport.
Though the island had been evaluated as unsuitable for an airport, the then-opposition People Power Party went along with the ruling party so as not to lose votes. A special law fraught with favors including exemptions from preliminary feasibility tests was enacted.
The Yoon Suk Yeol administration moved the target date of the airport opening up to December 2029 from June 2035 in a bid to win the race to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan. The construction period was reduced by as much as five years and six months. The curtailment was excessive in view of common sense.
The Land Ministry modified the airport construction plan to meet the drastically advanced deadline. It originally planned to build the whole airport on land reclaimed from the sea, but revised the plan to build part of the airport on the island and part of it on the reclaimed area. The government revived a method that it had excluded out of concerns that a foundation that stretches across land and sea risks settling unevenly.
Bidding failed several times last year due to a lack of interest. Difficult construction involving reclamation works and the tight schedule discouraged builders from tendering bids.
Hyundai E&C was selected as the preferred bidder without competition, but it is demanding what amounts to a renegotiation of the construction period and budget.
Hyundai E&C might forfeit its preferred bidder status. But if its bid fails, it would still be difficult to find an alternative.
The possibility of the Gadeokdo New Airport project being protracted or drifting cannot be excluded.
From now on, government officials and legislators should set aside political considerations and face reality. Korea lost the bid to host the World Expo. The reason to hasten the construction has vanished.
Unless the special law is abolished or revised, the airport must be built as stipulated by the law. Experts' opinions and judgment should be prioritized in any circumstance.
The conditions of the site and the capabilities of construction companies should be reviewed. The construction period and method also need to be reconsidered.
Steps to ensure the safety of air passengers, among other factors, should be examined again to prevent the recurrence of an accident like last year's deadly airplane crash at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province.
The likely delay of the Gadeokdo airport opening is a consequence of overturning a conclusion merely for political gain. It reminds us that national infrastructure projects should not be swayed by political populism.
