The debate over the government's reorganization of public institutions continued during the National Assembly audit, focusing on the consolidation of the Port Authority and the reconsideration of the Airport Corporation. Critics pointed out that the government's criteria and rationale for pursuing the Port Authority's consolidation while re-evaluating the Airport Corporation's merger were unclear.
During the audit of the Ministry of Economy and Finance on October 6, lawmaker Bae Jun-young of the People Power Party questioned Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Lee Hyung-il about the government's plans for consolidating public institutions.
Bae asked why the government decided to reconsider the consolidation of the Airport Corporation while pushing forward with the Port Authority's merger. In response, Lee stated that the consolidation of the Port Authority was necessary due to the need for new functions related to supply chains.
Bae further questioned the policy differences between reconsidering the Airport Corporation's merger and advancing the Port Authority's consolidation. He emphasized the importance of considering regional characteristics and balanced development during the consolidation process.
The method of consolidating the Port Authority also became a point of contention. Lee explained that after the merger, the headquarters would handle national-level strategic port projects while regional branches would be established. Bae countered that simply maintaining branches would not be sufficient to preserve regional characteristics, given the differing industries and functions of each port.
Bae raised concerns about the potential relocation of the consolidated authority's headquarters to Busan, considering the relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the push for Busan to become a maritime capital. Lee stated that a specific roadmap would be developed by the task force for establishing the consolidated entity, and the location is currently under review.
Opposition from the port industry was also evident. Park Shin-ho, chairman of the Busan Port Authority labor union, described the consolidation of the Port Authority as a "clearly misguided policy." He pointed out that the government had previously attempted to consolidate the Port Authority in 2011 but halted the process after determining that it would not yield benefits.
Park argued that the unique characteristics and expertise of each port should be maintained, as a blanket consolidation could undermine competitiveness. He stressed the need to consider the industrial roles and economic functions of ports such as Busan, Incheon, Ulsan, and Yeosu-Gwangyang.
Concerns were also raised regarding the cost-saving effects of the consolidation. Bae noted that during previous evaluations of the Port Authority's merger, the estimated benefits were around 5 billion won and urged a careful assessment of the current consolidation's advantages.
Lee affirmed that the characteristics of regional ports would be preserved after the merger and stated that a reasonable distribution of roles between the headquarters and regional branches would be examined. However, the specific organization, authority distribution, and location of the consolidated authority are expected to be determined through future discussions by the task force.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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