Disputes deepening over military airbases

By Yi Whan-woo

Airbases in big cities such as Daegu, Gwangju and Suwon are becoming seeds of conflict amid growing demands from residents for relocation.

The military is struggling to find alternative sites for the airbases as they are not welcomed elsewhere.

Citing complaints of noise, the city governments have asked the military to move the bases out of the cities.

In Daegu, the municipal government and lawmakers there criticized the central government, Monday, for dragging its feet on relocating the K2 Air Base in the city.

They initially planned to share relocation costs by re-developing the airbase, which covers 6.61 square kilometers, including runways.

However, the plan is now at risk after the Park Geun-hye administration decided to scrap a project to build a new airport in either the inland town of Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province or on Gadeok Island near Busan, they claimed.

On June 21, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) said it will instead expand the existing Gimhae International Airport to accommodate an increasing number of travelers.

The four local governments of Daegu, North and South Gyeongsang provinces and Miryang jointly competed against Busan to host the new airport in Miryang.

“The central government should keep in mind that Daegu citizens have not accepted its decision over the new airport yet,” Daegu Mayor Kwon Young-jin said during a meeting at his office with MOLIT’s Vice Minister Choi Jeong-ho, Monday.

“Our citizens are especially angry because the Park government’s decision over the new airport will affect our wish to relocate the K2 Air Base.

“I ask relevant ministries to discuss the case and come up with convincing measures.”

In the early 2010s, Daegu consulted with military officials to try and move the airbase to Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province by 2017 but failed due to opposition from county residents.

The Gwangju government said they have been keeping track of the case in Daegu, adding they also plan to carry out a land development project to fund the relocation of the airbase.

They also blamed the Ministry of Defense for “not being active” in line with their proposal submitted in January concerning the relocation.

“We estimated the relocation cost to be up to 5 trillion won and offered to share the cost,” a Gwangju government official said on condition of anonymity. “But the military told us it is careful about picking candidate sites for relocation due to opposition from the residents there.”

The defense ministry said it will finalize its decision concerning the airbase in Gwangju by September after conducting feasibility studies.

The central government is believed to have picked Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province to host the airbase in Suwon.

But Hwaseong City Council passed a resolution that opposes this, according to military sources.