Gyeonggi International Airport Development: President Lee's Decision Awaited...Suwon City Says "Military Airport Relocation is Separate"

As the 7th Airport Development Comprehensive Plan, which will determine whether the Gyeonggi International Airport is reflected in the national plan, enters the final consultation stage with the Presidential Office and relevant agencies, attention is focused on the policy judgment of President Lee Jae-myung, who has faced the issue of Suwon military airport relocation since his days as Gyeonggi Governor.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 6th, the 7th Airport Development Comprehensive Plan (2026-2030) is currently in the reporting and final consultation stage at the Presidential Office.

An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, "Once the final reporting and consultation with the Presidential Office is completed, we will also set the date for the public hearing," and added, "We are currently reviewing the timing of the public hearing."

The Gyeonggi International Airport development project is not an unfamiliar issue for President Lee.

President Lee served as Gyeonggi Governor from 2018 to 2021. During his tenure, conflicts between Suwon and Hwaseong over military airport relocation continued, and in September 2021, his final year in office, the private airport construction project in southern Gyeonggi was reflected as a mid-to-long-term alternative in the 6th Airport Development Comprehensive Plan.

Subsequently, in the 2022 presidential election, he presented the construction of an integrated international airport in southern Gyeonggi as a regional campaign pledge.

At the time, the candidate visited Suwon and promised to smoothly proceed with military airport relocation and establish a 'K-Silicon Valley' on the existing site. The plan was to link military airport relocation and southern Gyeonggi airport construction as a new opportunity for development in west Suwon.

The issue he faced as a major agenda during his tenure as Gyeonggi Governor has reached the final consultation stage of national planning through a presidential campaign pledge while serving as president.

However, even if Gyeonggi International Airport is reflected in the national plan, military airport relocation from Suwon is not guaranteed to be confirmed.

The Ministry of National Defense selected the Hwaseong Hwawong District as a preliminary candidate site for Suwon military airport relocation in 2017, but follow-up procedures have made little progress for nearly a decade.

Subsequently, Suwon City has pursued an integrated international airport plan that links military airport relocation with private international airport construction. Gyeonggi Province is also examining three candidate sites—Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek, and Icheon—while promoting Gyeonggi International Airport development.

However, the linked plan for Gyeonggi International Airport development and military airport relocation pursued by Suwon City has not led to specific implementation measures following reflection in the national plan.

An official from Suwon City said, "The relocation of Suwon military airport does not happen simply because Gyeonggi International Airport is built," and added, "We are promoting a direction in which military airport relocation and private airport construction are conducted together."

Regarding whether concrete measures have been prepared to link military airport relocation if Gyeonggi International Airport is reflected in the 7th plan, the official said, "The special legislation includes provisions allowing private airports to be included in military airport relocation projects, but there are no specific measures beyond that at this time," and explained, "We will push forward with follow-up procedures after reviewing the results of conflict-related research being conducted by the Ministry of National Defense."

The public hearing schedule is falling behind the original plan.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport initially anticipated holding a public hearing as early as September last August, then announced in the previous month that it was pursuing holding a public hearing in mid-November in Seoul, but as of this day, specific dates and locations have not been confirmed.

An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, "We want to do it in November from a practical standpoint, but nothing is confirmed," and added, "We are aiming for notification within this year, so we expect the public hearing to take place by early December at the latest."

The public hearing will include explanations of the plan and question-and-answer sessions. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport maintains that if consensus is formed on opinions raised at the public hearing and their validity is recognized, the plan can be reflected in the final decision.

When asked how Suwon City is preparing for the public hearing, an official said, "I understand that Representative Yeom Tae-young (Democratic Party, Suwon District), who serves on the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, is continuing to communicate with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and taking care of related matters."