NATIONAL

New study explores possibility of nurturing Incheon International Airport as hub for travelers to N. Korea

South Korean city of Incheon has sparked a controversy for contracting out a study on developing airports in North Korea, drawing criticisms from conservative lawmakers over the plan’s feasibility and political motivation.

Incheon Metropolitan Government has sparked a controversy for contracting out a study on developing airports in North Korea, drawing criticisms from conservative lawmakers over the plan’s feasibility and political motivation.

According to Incheon Metropolitan Government’s data submitted to Rep. Han Ki-ho of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), the city government contracted out the study to a consortium led by Korea National University of Transportation in May last year, at a cost of 135 million won ($120,000).

The study was aimed at exploring ways to nurture Incheon International Airport as a travel hub for North Korea. For this purpose, the study proposed improvements to eight existing airports in North Korea and the building of a new one there.

According to the plan, three airports — Pyongyang Sunan International Airport, Wonsan Kalma Airport and Samjiyon Airport near Mount Paektu — need to be developed as hub airports, as they are located near tourist destinations. The plan also states that a new airport needs to be built in Rason, a port city close to the North Korea-Russia border. To execute the plan, the study anticipates costs of about 4.4 trillion won to be financed by South Korea and the local government of Incheon with either state budget or through public-private partnerships.

Along with the airport plan, the study also proposed a 1.8 trillion won road project linking the two Koreas along the western coast, a 78 billion won logistics terminal and a slew of other projects, raising the total spending to 6.32 trillion won.

Incheon Mayor Park Nam-choon wrote on Facebook that the study is aimed at “exploring the role of Incheon, which has the country’s biggest airport, in case inter-Korean relations improve greatly.”

Park, a former lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, wrote in the post Monday that, “Depending on how inter-Korean relations unfold, there could be a necessity to develop aviation infrastructure in the North. Given this, the study is about building administrative knowhow and exploring the potential roles of Incheon in advance.” The city government also released a similar press release.

Despite Park’s comment, lawmakers of the conservative PPP are slamming the study. The PPP’s Incheon chapter said in a statement, “While North Korea is repeating its war-like provocations, the city government is attempting to build and develop airports, which play important strategic roles in wartime, even though the city is the biggest victim in North Korea’s previous provocations.”

Yeonpyeong Island, which is part of Incheon, suffered a deadly North Korean attack on Nov. 23, 2010, which killed two civilians and two marines.

“All joint economic projects between two the Koreas are a violation of U.N. sanctions, unless the North reaches a status of denuclearization and the sanctions are lifted,” another PPP lawmaker Shin Wonsik said. “The ruling bloc appears to be obsessed with handling the North Korean regime’s difficulties and safety, while turning a blind eye on South Korea’s economy and the livelihood of its people.”

“Though Pyongyang will like this, the plan seems to be impossible,” said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University. “Aside from the U.N. sanctions, the current inter-Korean relations

are not at a stage ripe for pursuing economic projects. Even if we managed to address cost problems, developing such airports requires systematical changes in the North, which would effectively require Pyongyang’s abandonment of communism.”

According to Park, a string of municipal governments in the South explored various ideas for inter-Korean economic cooperation, back when inter-Korean relations were more amicable in 2018.

In 2018, Pyongyang participated in the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games held in South Korea, and the two Koreas held three summits.

“Since so many municipal governments explored various ideas to

use the peace mood as an opportunity to push local developments, there were also too many unrealistic ideas, and the central government needs to bring them under control,” Park said. “However, the question remains why Incheon began this study last year.”

As the controversy shows signs of developing into a political fray, the Ministry of Unification is attempting to distance itself from the Incheon government’s study.

Lee Jong-joo, a spokesperson for the ministry, said in a Monday briefing that Incheon pursued the study independently, and the city will explain its purpose and the relevant processes.