By Chung Min-uck
he Air Force has nullified its plan to relocate 20 F-15K fighter jets in the southeastern city of Daegu to a less populated region over noise complaints, military officials said Thursday. This move comes as parliament is seeking to pass a bill on relocating military air bases that could affect the region.
The government has set aside 200 billion won ($188 million) to relocate one of the three squadrons in the K2 Air Base in Daegu to nearby Yecheon county in North Gyeongsang Province by 2017. A budget of 1.2 billion won has been allocated for designing a new facility this year.
The initial plan was aimed at resolving several collective suits by nearby residents in Daegu with a population of 2.5 million people, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, because the air base's 60 F-15K aircrafts cause loud noise during pilot training sessions.
"The F-15K relocation plan was made in an uncertain situation when the special law on military air base relocation was pending in the National Assembly," an Air Force official said.
"As the bill is pending in the parliamentary legislation committee and it is likely to get approval, the relocation plan was effectively nullified."
If the military airport relocation bill is passed, the Air Force will prepare measures to move K2 Air Base to another region to resolve residents' complaints, officials said.
In a report recently submitted to the parliamentary defense committee, the Defense Acquisition and Procurement Agency (DAPA) said it will establish a new facility to accommodate part of the combat jets in Daegu in order to handle decades-long noise complaints and soaring compensation payments for residents.
Last month, a Seoul court ordered the government to pay 16.1 billion won in compensation to about 12,000 residents near the K2 Air Base.
The number of noise-related damages suits has jumped in recent years nationwide, as residents complain of a number of physical ailments such as hearing loss, insomnia and nervousness.