I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Park stresses need for new airport
By Kang Hyun-kyung
A leading presidential hopeful expressed regret over a cancelled international airport project in the nation’s southeastern region Thursday, challenging the Lee Myung-bak administration’s decision to scrap the plan.
“Although building an international airport in the region is unfeasible at the moment, the project should be pursued someday in some way,” Rep. Park Geun-hye of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) said.
Park’s remarks came amid growing discontent over the government’s cancellation of the project, which was a campaign pledge made by President Lee in the 2007 presidential election.
“I think we politicians need to learn a lesson from this case. The country will be more transparent and predictable if politicians and government officials try to keep their promises,” she said at the Institute of Science and Technology of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.
Park’s remarks were taken as meaning that she may consider including the airport plan in her campaign pledges for the 2012 presidential election.
The former GNP chairwoman also clearly distanced herself from Lee, apparently in an effort to win more support from voters in the region, who feel betrayed by him.
Park, who was defeated by Lee in the GNP primaries ahead of the 2007 presidential election by a razor-thin margin, has not officially declared that she will run in next year’s presidential election.
But last year, she launched a private think tank aimed at conducting research on social policy and welfare programs. Many former government officials, academics and politicians joined the think tank.
Park is unrivaled in opinion polls among presidential hopefuls. She is a daughter of the late former President Park Chung-hee, and is particularly popular among residents of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.
These voters, along with those living in South Gyeongsang Province, were angered at the cancellation as they had high expectations on the beneficial effects if their region was chosen as its site.
Initially, Miryang in South Gyeongsang Province and Gadeok Island near Busan were proposed as candidate sites for the project.
On Wednesday, a government team that assessed the two sites concluded that neither one was suitable for a new airport.
The two provinces are strongholds of the conservative GNP. Candidates of the conservative party had sweeping wins in the regions in major elections in the past.
In the wake of the cancellation, ruling party lawmakers whose constituents are in the southeastern provinces feared a backlash from voters in the National Assembly elections scheduled for next April.
The eruption of protests from inside the ruling party added political pressure on President Lee who is in the second half of his presidency.
Lee plans to hold a press conference today to express his stance on the issue.