Election pledges to move military bases trigger concerns

By Jun Ji-hye

A number of candidates running for National Assembly seats have pledged to move military bases out of their prospective constituencies in a bid to woo voters.

Candidates standing in districts that have hosted South Korean or United States military bases, including Ulsan and Daegu, say that they will push for various development projects including the construction of mixed-use residential and commercial sites once the military bases are vacated.

Three candidates running in Namgu A district in Ulsan became engaged in a heated debate during a recent forum regarding the relocation of a ROK Army base in the area.

Independent Park Ki-joon promised to create the mixed-use housing complex once the area is vacated, while the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea’s (MPK) Shim Kyu-myung vowed to build a municipal library there.

The ruling Saenuri Party’s Lee Cha-ik, the incumbent lawmaker in the constituency seeking a second term, stressed that he has worked hard over the past four years in consultation with the Ministry of National Defense and the Korea Forest Service to resolve the ownership problem of the base.

Reps. Yoo Seong-min, Kwon Eun-hee and Yoo Sung-kull, former ruling party lawmakers who are now running as independent candidates in Daegu, made a joint promise to push for the relocation of the K2 Air Base.

A similar promise has been made in the Haeundae district of Busan and in Gwangsan, Gwangju.

Such a promise is tempting to voters who have suffered noise, pollution, and dangerous exercises conducted by troops as well as the negative impact on the local real estate markets.

But Shin In-kyun, president of the Korea Defense Network, said that the candidates as well as voters should be aware that the relocation of military bases is a highly complex issue involving security matters, different views between municipal governments and relevant ministries as well as budgetary problems.

“None of candidates suggested a possible location to which the bases can be moved,” he said. “There are residents and politicians in other regions who will not be very happy about hosting the military bases too.”

Shin said that candidates should refrain from making populist pledges.

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