We condemn Governor Oh Young-hoon for ignoring the people's will!

"Stop Notifying Basic Plan and Ignore Referendum Demands, Demand Government to Notify Basic Plan"

"Said to abandon pledge to respect residents' right to decide, more ways to resolve conflicts"

Governor Oh Young-hoon presided over the August policy sharing meeting today, urging the government to make a quick decision and fulfill the notification process instead of delaying the announcement of the second airport. Furthermore, Oh made a contradictory statement that he has consistently adhered to the principle of minimizing conflicts and prioritizing the interests of the people since he took office in his eighth term as governor. This is truly absurd.

First, Oh's pledge was to secure the right of citizens to decide on the second airport. However, he ignored the call for a referendum, which is the surest way to secure the right to decide. Nearly 80% of the people, regardless of political affiliation and region, wanted a referendum to end the long conflict, but Oh betrayed the will of the people. By leaving the decision up to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport without any plan to realize the right to self-determination, he squandered a golden opportunity to resolve the conflict over the second airport. As a result, he is solely responsible for the prolonged and escalating conflict. 

Oh's comments today raise the question of whether the second airport is a foregone conclusion. If so, Oh's repeated references to "Jeju's time" are nothing more than a play on words. Once again, Oh said he would use the province's authority in the environmental impact assessment process to fairly validate residents' concerns and minimize conflicts. However, it is impossible to do so when the governor, who has the authority to consult on the environmental impact assessment and to appoint the members of the environmental impact assessment review committee that deliberates on the consultation, is already committed to building the second airport. In that case, Oh's talk of minimizing conflicts will be nothing more than smoke and mirrors. Deceiving the people with ambiguous rhetoric will no longer work. Mr. Oh should clarify his position on the construction of the second airport.

Once the master plan is published, it is clear that conflicts will only intensify. The government says it will resolve conflicts during the process of implementing the EIA, but it does not show how it will do so. In this situation, it is clearly contradictory to demand the publication of the master plan while claiming to resolve conflicts. 

In fact, a fair and thorough examination of issues such as the adequacy of aviation demand forecasts, the risk of bird collisions and legal protected species, the conservation of birds and other habitat areas, the conservation value of hidden valleys, and the possible presence of lava caves on the site of the second airport would never justify the construction of a second airport. The falsity of the demand forecast has already been proven by reality, and the environmental issues have been conditionally handed over without being resolved after three revisions in four years. However, if Oh thinks that he can deceive the people with words like "fair verification" and "allaying concerns," he is mistaken. We sternly warn him that he will not be able to avoid greater resistance and judgment from the people if he tries to push through the second airport by deceiving the people with shallow tactics. 

Governor Oh should retract his remarks now and demand that the MOLIT stop publishing the basic plan for the second airport and hold a referendum! Please don't go against the will of the people and anger them. End.

2024. 08. 13.

Jeju 2nd Airport to Jersey Emergency Residents' Association