By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
Lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties have agreed on a plan to purchase a presidential plane, party officials said Friday.
The agreement was made during a National Assembly budget appropriation committee hearing, they said. Lawmakers agreed to set aside about 14 billion won ($12 million) next year to open the bidding.
Appropriation lawmakers shared the need for introducing an up-to-date presidential airplane, citing Korea's global economic profile, inconvenience from leasing and modifying commercial charted flights, and security problems.
The plan requires the approval from the parliamentary defense and special budget committees, and the Assembly.
Cheong Wa Dae has long sought to operate a bigger, longer-range presidential plane, but the plan hit snags due to budget constraints and political conflict.
In 2006, the then ruling Democratic Party (DP) sought to buy a presidential aircraft, but the plan was stymied by the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP). Ironically, the GNP proposed the recent plan to buy an airplane with the DP opposing it.
Later, the presidential office considered leasing a plane instead of buying a new one.
Introduced in 1985, the current plane, a Boeing 737, can accommodate only 41 passengers. The plane has a maximum flight range of 3,400 kilometers so it is unable to fly out of Northeast Asia without refueling.
The presidential office wants an airplane that has a seating capacity of about 150 and can make a non-stop flight to Europe.
Candidates include the Airbus A340M and Boeing's 747 or 787 planes.