Fate of Gyeonggi International Airport to be Decided by 7th Airport Development Plan, Details to Emerge Mid-November
The 7th Comprehensive Airport Development Plan (2026-2030), which will determine whether Gyeonggi International Airport is reflected in the national plan, is expected to take shape mid-next month.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 20th, the ministry plans to hold a public hearing on the 7th Comprehensive Airport Development Plan mid-November and announce the final plan by year-end.
A ministry official stated, "We haven't confirmed the exact date yet, but we plan to hold the public hearing in November," and "We are pushing forward to announce it by year-end."
The public hearing is being reviewed as a one-time event to be held in Seoul. No separate public hearings are planned for other regions including Gyeonggi Province.
The biggest point of interest is whether Gyeonggi International Airport will be reflected in the national plan.
Gyeonggi Province has been pushing forward construction of Gyeonggi International Airport and reviewing three candidate sites: Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek, and Icheon. The proposal submitted to the ministry for reflection in the 7th Comprehensive Airport Development Plan also includes these candidate sites.
In particular, interest in the project is mounting anew as Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae reaffirmed her commitment to build Gyeonggi International Airport during the province's audit before the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee held the previous day.
Governor Choo, responding to Rep. Yeom Tae-young (Democratic Party, Suwon District) of the National Assembly, stated, "It doesn't make sense for Gyeonggi Province, which produces the most semiconductors and has sufficient demand for advanced air cargo, to not have an airport," emphasizing the necessity of pushing forward the project.
She also announced that she has decided to resume the "Research project on analyzing candidate sites for Gyeonggi International Airport and establishing a hinterland development strategy," which had been suspended due to conflict-of-interest allegations against the contractor, after determining through internal investigation that there are no issues.
Suwon City is also pushing forward construction of the Gyeonggi Integrated International Airport in connection with the relocation of Suwon military airport and has demanded reflection in the 7th Comprehensive Airport Development Plan.
During a party-government policy briefing with Suwon-area National Assembly members in July, the city requested cooperation on reflecting Gyeonggi International Airport in the national plan and enacting special legislation related to military airport relocation.
In contrast, Hwaseong City opposes the relocation of Suwon military airport to Hwaseong. Recently, it is also resisting over the survey method and sample allocation of the "Efficient conflict management research project for Suwon military airport relocation" being pursued by the Defense Ministry.
The Defense Ministry's project plan calls for a survey of approximately 1,000 Hwaseong area residents, with 60% from Manseh Ward where the preliminary relocation candidate site Waonjip District is located and 40% from other areas. Hwaseong City is demanding that the survey target be limited to residents of Manseh Ward.
The Hwaseong City Council's Special Committee for Opposition to Suwon Military Airport's Relocation to Hwaseong also issued a resolution on the 16th opposing the Defense Ministry project and the proposal of special legislation related to military airport relocation.
However, reflection of Gyeonggi International Airport in the national plan and relocation of Suwon military airport are separate procedures. Even if a civilian airport in southern Gyeonggi is included in the national plan, the military airport relocation site must go through procedures including a referendum according to related special legislation, submission of inducement applications by local governments, and review by the relocation site selection committee.
Accordingly, the public hearing scheduled for November is expected to be the first watershed moment in determining the possibility of Gyeonggi International Airport's inclusion in the national plan.
A ministry official said regarding whether Gyeonggi International Airport will be included in the plan, "Such contents will be made public on the day of the public hearing."
However, since what will be disclosed at the public hearing is a plan rather than the final confirmed version, the actual reflection will be finalized in the final announcement after a subsequent review process.