The construction of the Gadeokdo New Airport is set to begin this year, with the government, Busan Metropolitan City, and the project implementer establishing a continuous cooperation framework.
On September 18, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced the first meeting of the 'Gadeokdo New Airport Project Promotion Council' with Busan City and the Gadeokdo New Airport Construction Corporation.
The council includes the head of the Ministry's Aviation Policy Division, the Vice Mayor for Future Innovation of Busan, and the Deputy Director of the Gadeokdo New Airport Construction Corporation. Regular quarterly meetings will be held, with practical discussions occurring as needed.
The establishment of the council comes as preparations for the land development work for the Gadeokdo New Airport enter a significant phase. The construction consortium, led by Daewoo Engineering & Construction, submitted the basic design documents on September 7. The Ministry plans to push for the start of construction for the priority work by the end of the year after undergoing design reviews by the Central Construction Technology Review Committee this month.
During the first meeting, a key agenda item was how to reflect the increased construction costs due to the recent Middle Eastern conflict in the contract amount. The progress of inter-agency consultations at the government level was shared, and the opinions and on-site challenges of local construction companies participating in the Daewoo consortium were examined.
Discussions also covered preparations for the groundbreaking ceremony, which will encompass not only the construction of the new airport but also plans for regional development. The aim is to coordinate with relevant agencies to incorporate these aspects into the ceremony.
Additionally, plans for regional development linked to the airport and surrounding areas were discussed. The goal is to ensure that the construction of the airport contributes to revitalizing the local economy and advancing nearby regions through ongoing discussions on specific linkage strategies.
In the future, the council will address cooperation tasks across the entire project, from permitting and construction preparation to safety and quality management during the construction process, as well as development linked to surrounding areas.
Jung Chae-kyu, head of the Ministry's Aviation Policy Division, stated, "The Gadeokdo New Airport is a national project aimed at creating a 24-hour gateway airport that has long been desired in the southern region. With the launch of this council, the government, local government, and project implementers will work as one team to ensure the start of construction and timely opening without any setbacks."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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