A controversial bill on building a new airport in the second-biggest South Korean city of Busan got the final nod from the National Assembly. The bill nails down a multi-billion-dollar state project to build a new airport on Gadeok Island, the biggest island of Busan, to handle growing air traffic demand and facilitate prosperity in the country's southeast region. The bill proposes special exemption for the compulsory preliminary feasibility study for the construction project, if necessary, and streamlining the process of another follow-up feasibility study in a bid to expedite the envisioned airport's construction. The bill was passed in the National Assembly's plenary meeting in a 181-33 vote, with 15 abstentions. The project is part of South Korea's more than a decade-old debate on expanding air travel infrastructure in the southeast region that encompasses such prosperous cities as Busan and Ulsan. The trip was vehemently denounced by the main opposition People Power Party as "election meddling," with its floor leader Rep. Joo Ho-young pledging to examine whether it is in violation of the official election law, which requires those in public service, including the president, to remain politically neutral.
A controversial bill on building a new airport in the second-biggest South Korean city of Busan got the final nod from the National Assembly. The bill nails down a multi-billion-dollar state project to build a new airport on Gadeok Island, the biggest island of Busan, to handle growing air traffic demand and facilitate prosperity in the country's southeast region. The bill proposes special exemption for the compulsory preliminary feasibility study for the construction project, if necessary, and streamlining the process of another follow-up feasibility study in a bid to expedite the envisioned airport's construction. The bill was passed in the National Assembly's plenary meeting in a 181-33 vote, with 15 abstentions. The project is part of South Korea's more than a decade-old debate on expanding air travel infrastructure in the southeast region that encompasses such prosperous cities as Busan and Ulsan. The trip was vehemently denounced by the main opposition People Power Party as "election meddling," with its floor leader Rep. Joo Ho-young pledging to examine whether it is in violation of the official election law, which requires those in public service, including the president, to remain politically neutral.