Seoul Metropolitan Airport Could Be Relocated

On March 8, Kim Han-gil, a ruling Uri party lawmaker and chairman of the Presidential Committee on the Development of the Metropolitan area, commented on ways to promote the development of the Seoul metropolitan area in the wake of the planned relocation of the administrative capital to the southern part of Korea, saying that “we are considering the relocation of Seoul Airport.”

Located in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam City in Gyeonggi province, near Gangnam-gu, Jamsil dong in Songpa-gu, and Pangyo New Town in Seongnam City, and about 1.2 million pyeong (about 3.96 k㎡) in area, Seoul Airport is considered land that could supplement the vast residential area in Gangnam-gu ever since the late 1990s.

As a result, the government’s discussion on ways to develop the area after the relocation of the airport may well have huge ramifications on the real estate market. The Seongnam city government already has concrete plans for the development of the area on the premise that the airport will be moved to a different place. The airport is utilized for military purposes, such as a landing field for the presidential plane and military helicopters.

At a news conference yesterday, Chairman Kim said, “Considering geographical factors, Seoul Airport has many advantages that will boost the competitiveness of Seoul and the metropolitan area,” adding, “But we should consult with the Defense Ministry first on the usefulness of the airport for military purposes.”

However, the Defense Ministry firmly responded that it had no plans to move its airport.

Meanwhile, in a meeting among the Presidential Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, and the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, the Education Ministry revealed that it would give approval to a plan that would let foreign universities establish and run globally-competitive colleges in the free economic zones in Busan, Incheon, Jinhae City in South Gyeongsang Province, and Gwangyang City in South Jeolla Province.

Myoung-Gun Lee In-Jik Cho gun43@donga.com cij1999@donga.com