Kang Gwang-seok, a lawmaker of the South Jeolla-Gwangju Special Metropolitan Council representing the Progressive Party, criticized the special metropolitan government's lax administrative response and failure to communicate with residents over the looming collapse of a November referendum on relocating Gwangju's military airport to Muan-gun. Kang raised the issue Wednesday during an administrative audit of the semiconductor industry support office.
"There is a high likelihood that the November referendum will not proceed as planned, and public sentiment in Muan is currently very cold," Kang said. "Public hearings are being run as a formality and residents are turning away from them."
Kang also criticized the level of representation at consultative meetings on the relocation. "On an issue as significant as a military airport relocation, the special city sends a deputy mayor and Muan-gun sends a deputy county chief," he said. "Leaving such an important matter to working-level consultations alone makes it very difficult to resolve the underlying conflicts."
Citing noise concerns raised by residents of Sinan-gun as well as those in the Namak and Oryong areas of Muan, Kang urged that an objective noise impact assessment be conducted for all areas that could be affected by the airport relocation, and that the results be disclosed to residents transparently.
"The time has come for the special city mayor to step forward personally," Kang said, urging the mayor to lead public hearings and, if necessary, hold two or three town hall meetings with Muan-gun residents to listen to their concerns and win their support.
Kang added that Muan-gun residents feel a sense of crisis over regional depopulation and a sense of deprivation at being left behind in regional development. Kang proposed that the government "actively consider special measures, including providing a basic rural income to residents in the towns and villages of Muan-gun where population decline is under way."
In closing, Kang said the semiconductor support department must acknowledge that "its complacent attitude and lack of willingness to communicate are making local sentiment even colder," and called on officials to "focus every administrative resource with the urgent recognition that this is the last golden opportunity to restore the trust of Muan-gun residents."
sij@heraldcorp.com
