'Tense' confrontation for and against Jeju 2nd Airport..."Basic plan announcement invalid without residents' consent"
Jeju 2nd Airport Press Conference in front of Jeju Jeju Provincial Office
Opponents "Fight to Stop Construction"...Proponents "Call for Prompt Action"
The Jeju Emergency Residents' Council (hereinafter referred to as the Emergency Residents' Council) held a press conference in front of the Jeju Provincial Government on the afternoon of the 5th, claiming that "the notification of the basic plan for the second airport without the consent of the people of Jeju is invalid." (Photo by Yang Yuri)
With the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport's decision to notify the basic plan for the construction of Jeju's second airport, there have been sharp voices against the project without the consent of Jeju residents.
The Jeju Emergency Residents' Assembly (hereinafter referred to as the Emergency Residents' Assembly) held a press conference in front of the Jeju Provincial Office on the afternoon of the 5th, claiming that "the notification of the basic plan for the second airport without the consent of the people of Jeju is invalid."
MOLIT and Jeju Island announced on the 5th that they plan to proceed with follow-up procedures such as design and environmental impact assessment after the basic plan is announced. The announcement of the basic plan for the second airport comes about nine years after the location of the airport was announced in 2015.
In the meantime, Jeju Airport 2 has experienced countless conflicts for and against, and the notification of the basic plan has been delayed, and the 'right of residents to decide' has emerged as an issue to resolve the conflict.
"We strongly condemn the Yoon Seok-yeol government and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport for ignoring the will of the people of Jeju Island and forcing through the notification, and we declare the notification invalid in the name of the people of Jeju Island," said the Emergency Residents' Assembly.
"The Basic Plan for the Second Airport lacks the basic requirements of a basic plan," the group said, citing the lack of validity in forecasting airport passenger demand, questioning the feasibility of the location, which should have been reviewed in the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment, not reflecting the will of Jeju Islanders, and accelerating the climate crisis.
Regarding the demand forecast, they said, "The second airport was promoted based on the forecast that it would reach 45.6 million passengers per year, but it was reduced to 39.7 million passengers per year in the basic plan," adding, "This forecast is also an overestimation that does not reflect important variables such as aging. Despite the significant change in circumstances, there was no review of alternatives to reflect them in the basic plan."
"None of the questions raised by specialized organizations such as the Environmental Research Institute about the feasibility of the site, such as the risk of bird collisions, the conflict between protecting migratory birds and the conservation value of the skeletons, have been resolved," he said. "These are all important issues related to the feasibility of the site and should have been resolved before the basic plan was published, but they were relegated to the environmental impact assessment under the name of 'conditional'. Politics trampled on science," he said.
"It is an obvious principle of democracy and local autonomy that the people of Jeju Island, the owners of Jeju, should decide on the issue of the second airport, which will determine the future of Jeju," said the Emergency Residents' Assembly. "The plan to build the second airport should also be reconsidered due to the increasingly serious climate crisis."
The Jeju Emergency Residents' Council (hereinafter referred to as the Emergency Residents' Council) held a press conference in front of the Jeju Provincial Government on the afternoon of the 5th, claiming that "the notification of the basic plan for the second airport without the consent of the people of Jeju is invalid." (Photo by Yang Yuri)
The Jeju Emergency Residents' Council (hereinafter referred to as the Emergency Residents' Council) held a press conference in front of the Jeju Provincial Government on the afternoon of the 5th, claiming that "the notification of the basic plan for the second airport without the consent of the people of Jeju is invalid." (Photo by Yang Yuri)
"Jeju Island is not your colony, and if you think that the people of Jeju Island will obey you because you unilaterally imposed the notification, you are mistaken," they said, urging the Yoon administration and MOLIT to "immediately withdraw the basic plan notification and hold a referendum to ask the will of the people of Jeju Island."
To Governor Oh Young-hoon, he said, "You have to choose whether to play along with the Yoon government in pushing ahead with the second airport or to accept the will of the people," and demanded, "Jeju should start the verification now, not wait for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport's environmental impact assessment."
"If you take an opportunistic and irresponsible attitude while only looking for immediate political gains, you do not deserve to represent the people of Jeju," he said. "Please put the brakes on the Yoon Seok-yeol government's draconian measures and take an active role in protecting Jeju's pride by securing the right to decide for the people."
He added, "I appeal to the residents. It's not over when the basic plan is published. If the governor or the provincial council does not agree to the environmental impact assessment, the second airport will be canceled," he said, emphasizing that the will of the people is important.
They then explained the case of the Geochang Detention Center construction project, a national project of the Ministry of Justice, which was subject to a referendum. National projects are not subject to referendum, but in Geochang-gun, a five-party council was formed by the Ministry of Justice, Geochang-gun, the county council, and pro- and anti-government organizations to hold a referendum as civilian opposition grew. The minister of justice at the time was Han Dong-hoon, the head of the prefecture's People's Power.
In conclusion, the Emergency Residents' Assembly said, "We cannot recognize the notification of the basic plan for the second airport, which has no legitimacy in content or procedure," adding, "The notification is not the end of the conflict, but the beginning of greater resistance and conflict. We will continue to fight for the right to self-determination and to be stronger and more persistent until the day when the second airport is canceled."
The Seongsan-eup Promotion Committee for Jeju 2nd Airport held a press conference at the Jeju Provincial Assembly's Residents' Café on the afternoon of the 5th, saying, "We strongly welcome MOLIT's announcement of the basic plan for Jeju 2nd Airport." (Photo by Yang Yuri)
Meanwhile, the Seongsan-eup Promotion Committee for Jeju Airport 2 held a press conference at the Jeju Provincial Assembly's Residents' Cafe later in the day, stating that it "strongly welcomes MOLIT's announcement of the basic plan for Jeju's second airport."
The committee urged MOLIT and the Jeju government to "return the reduced project cost to the original plan so that there will be no disruption in the construction of the second airport," and to "end the wasteful debate and build the second airport as soon as possible."
The Jeju Tourism Association also welcomed the announcement of the basic plan for the second airport on behalf of 100,000 tourists, saying, "The second airport is an indispensable facility for revitalizing Jeju's local economy by attracting tourists, creating jobs, and attracting people."
