Administrative integration and new airport plans languish; inadequate measures for wildfire victims raised at North Gyeongsang audit

【Financial News, Andong = Reporter Kim Jang-wook】‘Stalled Daegu–North Gyeongsang administrative integration and new airport construction, inadequate support for victims of the mega-wildfire, and the relocation of the Seokpo Smelter, among other issues’
These issues were a major focus of the Security and Public Administration Committee’s audit of North Gyeongsang Province, held on the 20th.
Kim Young-bae of the Democratic Party of Korea said, “The integration of South Jeolla and Gwangju has brought various forms of support from the central government, while Daegu and North Gyeongsang were the first to discuss integration, but there is a sense that those discussions have not progressed. I understand that progress has been slow for other reasons, and have heard there are challenges, particularly concerns that the northern region may be left behind,” he said, asking about the issue.
Governor Lee Cheol-woo said, “The initiative began in 2019, when Rep. Kwon Young-jin was mayor of Daegu. The Security and Public Administration Committee helped it along, but it was blocked by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. I ask lawmakers to help ensure it passes the Legislation and Judiciary Committee within this year.”
Kwon Young-jin, a People Power Party lawmaker, also said of administrative integration, “The Legislation and Judiciary Committee, where the Democratic Party has a majority, did not pass it, but I think we may also have given them a pretext. I hope there will be concrete ways to address concerns about the northern region and other areas.”
Lee said, “If 1 trillion won of the 5 trillion won in support for administrative integration is invested in the northern region and a national medical school is established, the region will develop more than it has so far. The second relocation of public institutions to the provincial government’s new town is a legal issue, so relocating them to the northern region will be difficult unless the law is amended.”
There were also calls to expedite the stalled relocation and construction of the new airport.
Kwon said, “When I was mayor of Daegu, Governor Lee and I decided on a site for the airport relocation, but the project has been stalled ever since,” and asked about the obstacles to building the new airport and possible solutions.
Lee said, “The central government could make the initial investment, but if it does not step in, the province plans to issue local bonds first and support residents who cannot exercise their property rights over 5 million pyeong of land, including by purchasing land through public institutions.”
Asked about turning the project into a national one, Lee said, “I’m not opposed, but converting it into a national project would take a long time,” and reiterated that Daegu City and North Gyeongsang Province should start the project first.
There were also a barrage of questions about support for wildfire victims, following the mega-wildfire the spring of last year that caused extensive damage in five cities and counties in North Gyeongsang Province.
Lim Ho-seon, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker, said, “A year and a half has passed since last year’s mega-wildfire, but 1,898 households affected by the fire are still living in temporary housing,” and called for steps to minimize the inconveniences of temporary housing, swiftly restore public facilities and rebuild villages.
Kim Young-bae of the same party pressed the issue, saying, “Not a single anchor had been installed at the temporary homes in Andong, while they had all been installed in Yeongdeok. More than 100 billion won was spent, but there were no consistent, unified guidelines for installing temporary housing.”
Questions continued about the process of implementing measures, including the relocation of the Seokpo Smelter.
Jin Jong-oh, a People Power Party lawmaker, asked why, given claims that the Seokpo Smelter in Bonghwa was causing severe environmental pollution, North Gyeongsang Province had formed a task force and commissioned a research study, only for a ‘feasibility study on relocation’ to become a ‘review of coexistence strategies.’
Lee explained, “The smelter was originally there because there was a zinc mine. Now there are almost no mines, and since zinc is imported for smelting, the view is that it should be relocated to the coast. Relocation is the obvious choice, but there is a lot to consider, including local residents, economic factors and finding a suitable site.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Jin asked, “Residents of Yecheon have been living with noise from the military airfield and restrictions on their property rights, yet military forces at Gwangju Airport are being moved to Yecheon to make way for the government’s semiconductor cluster project.”
Lee said, “No one told me about it either; I learned about it through the media. It would be difficult for the governor to comment without knowing the details, so once the government’s plan is conveyed to us, I’ll talk with residents to ensure there is no harm to the people of the province.”

[email protected] Kim Jang-wook Reporter