The parking complex of Gimhae Airport is packed with cars.[Courtesy of airport authorities in Busan]
South Korean President Park Geun-hye has been caught in a regional battle to host a new airport at her traditional political base as the time to choose draws near.
Busan and Miryang have been the candidate cities vying for a major government project to build a second airport in South Gyeongsang Province. Miryang is located some 47 kilometers (32 miles) northwest of Busan, the southern port city which has an international airport in the neighboring city of Gimhae.
The project is one of Park's campaign pledges to ease a traffic congestion at the Gimhae airport crowded with travelers, many from China and other Asian countries. The number of passengers using Gimhae has soared from 7.07 million in 2006 to 12.38 million in 2015.
The rivalry has intensified since ADPi, a French company specializing in airport architecture and engineering, was chosen to conduct a feasibility study in June last year. This week thousands of citizens in Busan held a street rally claiming a nearby island is better suited for the new airport.
Initially, the government tried to pick the site this month but an announcement could be delayed, probably due to a tense standoff between residents, business groups and politicians at the two cities.
Park's office, mindful of a political backlash ahead of next year's presidential election, has only issued a cautious statement on Wednesday saying the government would respect" the results of a feasibility study without any political considerations.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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