Jeju 2nd Airport Emergency Residents' Association

The Jeju 2nd Airport Emergency Residents' Association is a solidarity body formed by residents of villages near the proposed second-airport site, together with Jeju-based civil society organizations, to stop the airport from being pushed through.

Before the Emergency Residents' Association was established, the Seongsan-eup Anti-2nd-Airport Countermeasure Committee — made up of the three villages closest to the candidate site (Nansan-ri, Susan-ri, Sinsan-ri) — and the All-Jeju People's Action Against the 2nd Airport — a coalition of 22 civic and social organizations — led the opposition movement in close coordination with each other.

As soon as the 2nd Airport Feasibility Review Committee concluded its work in June 2019, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) moved to push construction through by wrapping up the master-plan consultancy and submitting the strategic environmental impact assessment. In response, the Seongsan-eup Committee and the All-Jeju Action proposed an emergency solidarity body to consolidate residents' opposition into a single line of struggle, and on July 22, 2019, the Jeju 2nd Airport Emergency Residents' Association was founded with the participation of more than 100 civic and social organizations.

Since its founding, the Association has waged its fight against the airport push along two main axes: "winning the right of Jeju residents to self-determination" and "responding to the strategic environmental impact assessment." On the first axis, beginning in the second half of 2019, we worked with the Provincial Council to initiate a public-deliberation process to resolve the conflict, and ultimately in February 2021 an official opinion poll jointly conducted by the Council and the province confirmed that a majority of residents opposed the project. On the second axis, by raising questions about the necessity of the airport and the environmental suitability of the Seongsan site, we helped secure the Ministry of Environment's rejection of the strategic environmental impact assessment in July 2021. With the confirmed opposition of Jeju residents and the rejection of the assessment, the second airport had entirely lost its legitimacy.

However, with the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, which ran on a pledge to build the second airport, the push to force construction through was reignited. In January 2023, MOLIT re-submitted a revised strategic environmental impact assessment, and the Ministry of Environment passed it through conditional consultation. In response, the Association again called for a referendum as the ultimate means of resident decision-making, while also raising the various deficiencies and concerns of the environmental assessment to public attention and waging a fight to stop the airport. Yet, due to the arrogance and high-handedness of the Yoon administration and the opportunistic evasion of responsibility by the Oh Young-hoon provincial government, the conflict and struggle over the second airport continues.

The Jeju second airport is, in itself, the largest and worst reckless-development project in Jeju's history: it would pave over 1.65 million pyeong of greenery and farmland with concrete, exert profound impacts on nearby migratory bird habitats, oreum (volcanic cones), and groundwater flows, and destroy the livelihoods and communities of residents who have made their living through farming. Beyond the site itself, the second airport would trigger a storm of speculation and reckless development across all of Jeju, leaving irreversible scars on the island's greatest assets — its beautiful natural environment and its communities. Moreover, at a time when tourist numbers are no longer growing, it is all too obvious that this unnecessary oversized facility would ultimately be used as an Air Force base.

If the Yoon administration forces through the master-plan notification for the Jeju second airport, even more intense conflict will be unavoidable around whether to consent to the environmental impact assessment that will determine whether the project proceeds. The Association will continue to raise the fundamental question — is the second airport really needed for Jeju's future? — expanding opposition among Jeju residents, while thoroughly scrutinizing whether the candidate site is environmentally suitable, centered on issues such as sumgol (breathing holes) and lava tubes, migratory bird habitats, protection of species and ecosystems, disaster risk, and noise.

Together with Jeju residents, and with nationwide support and solidarity, the Emergency Residents' Association will stop the second airport, no matter what. In doing so, we will protect Jeju from reckless development, speculation, and militarization, and create a major turning point toward a sustainable Jeju where ecology, peace, and community can live and breathe. We ask for the continued attention, participation, and solidarity of all residents who wish for a Jeju true to itself — a sustainable Jeju — and of everyone at home and abroad who loves this island.

Thank you.