A civic group in Muan-gun on Wednesday called for an end to discussions on an "early relocation" plan that would have military and civilian aircraft share the runway at Muan International Airport.
The Muan Pan-County Citizens' Committee for Responding to the Relocation of Gwangju Military Airport — known as the Pan-County Committee — issued a statement demanding an apology from Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers Song Young-gil and Park Seon-won, who have recently pushed for the early relocation of Gwangju Military Airport.
"The runway-sharing proposal raised at a forum co-hosted by Rep. Song on Oct. 5 has not been verified for aviation safety, military operations, or noise and environmental impact," the group said, adding that Rep. Park's characterization of Muan-gun's support demands as a "precondition" — and his call on residents to welcome the relocation — "distorted the legitimate demands of county residents." The committee called on both lawmakers to apologize.
The Pan-County Committee also said the 1 trillion won ($753 million) support package was a commitment contained in a joint declaration issued Dec. 17 last year by a six-party consultative body that included the central government and local authorities. It called on the government to publicly disclose the timeline, funding sources and responsible parties for fulfilling its pledges — including the priority relocation of Gwangju's civilian airport, the 1 trillion won support package and national-level incentives.
sij@heraldcorp.com
