The Incheon Metropolitan Government looked for ways to invest 4.4 trillion won ($3.9 billion) to make Incheon International Airport a hub for exchanges with North Korea by constructing and repairing airports in North Korea. This was revealed after it was found out on April 26 that members of the ruling Democratic Party proposed revisions to a bill that would allow Incheon International Airport Corporation and Korea Airports Corporation to support these inter-Korean aviation projects.
According to the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper on Monday, in May 2020 the Incheon Metropolitan City gave Korea National University of Transportation’s industrial-academic cooperation group a 135 million won commission to research plans to make Incheon International Airport a hub for exchanges with the North. Its purpose was to use South Korea’s biggest airport as a base that foreigners visiting North Korea could use as a transfer airport. Incheon believed the airport would also help North Korea with tourism and imports and exports.
The final research paper was released last month, but the details were disclosed for the first time. Han Ki-ho, three-term lawmaker of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), acquired a copy of the report from the Incheon city government. According to Han, the paper said that “aviation will cost less and takes less time than modernizing railways,” and laid out ways to improve North Korea’s airports.
The report includes plans to renovate or newly construct nine North Korean airports, including eight major airports out of roughly 50 airports in the North, and build a new airport in the North Korean city of Rason, which borders Russia.
“Infrastructure such as runways, terminals, and safety systems in most North Korean airports except for Sunan Airport [in Pyongyang] and Wonsan Airport [near Mt. Kumgang] are falling behind, so full scale renovation or new construction is necessary,” the report said. “It is desirable to prioritize the development of airports near Pyongyang, Mt. Kumgang, and Mt. Paektu that are expected to have the most tourism demand.”
The report estimated that the project cost would be around 4.4 trillion won. It proposed attracting funds through a public-private partnership.
It also included plans to allocate another 1.8 trillion won from the government budget to construct the so-called “South-North Peace Road” on the west coast of the peninsula. This would connect South Korea’s Yeongjong and Ganghwa islands with Kaesong and Haeju in North Korea.
The report also proposed an 18-billion won project to build a North Korean airport terminal connecting Yeongjong Island in the South with North Korean cities such as Haeju and Kaesong, located about 50 kilometers away. Another 30 billion won was proposed to establish a North Korea business platform by opening an office of the Federation of National Economic Cooperation based in Dadong, China, on Yeongjong Island. The purpose of the office is to issue proof of origin certificates for goods, according to the report.
This report attracted political controversy in South Korea. Currently, Incheon Mayor Park Nam-chun and 33 out of 37 Incheon Metropolitan Council members are from the ruling DP. This news broke out after a group of some 10 DP lawmakers, including Rep. Park Sang-hyuk, proposed revising aviation laws to expand inter-Korean exchange and cooperation. “The purpose of the bill is to open inter-Korean air routes and improve North Korea’s underdeveloped airport facilities to enable smoother transportation for personnel exchanges and resources,” Park and the co-sponsors of the bill argued.
Mayor Park argued that the media is trying to distort facts and look at the issue through the lens of ideology. “This basically is an academic study to find out roles that we can take when developing transportation infrastructure for North Korea becomes necessary following development in inter-Korean relations,” Park argued. “I am very worried about the purpose of media doing this kind of reporting at a time that the relations between the North and South and the North and the United States are very fragile.”
According to the JoongAng Ilbo, experts questioned the practicality and timing of the ongoing debate. “It will be difficult to realize inter-Korean joint projects such as airport construction because they violate UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea,” said Shin Beom-chul, director of the Center for Diplomacy and National Security at the Research Institute for Economy and Society. “It would not be too late to begin them once North Korea steps toward denuclearization and opens up, so I wonder if it is necessary to propose an amendment bill at this point.”
The report also compared the current inter-Korean situation with that of West and East Germany in the 1970s and China and Taiwan in 2008. “Every aspect of North Korea, including its economy, social structure, and openness, is not anywhere close to that of China or East Germany,” said Shin.
Representative Han Ki-ho of the opposition PPP also criticized the recent moves from the Incheon Metropolitan Government and DP lawmakers. “The reality is that the government has not been able to carry out long term plans to improve transportation in underdeveloped regions domestically because of a lack of finances, but the idea is that we are building airports for North Korea with our taxpayers’ money in a situation where there is a threat of Pyongyang launching its nuclear weapons and missiles,” Han argued. He added that such airports have a high possibility of being used for military purposes in the future, as well.
The central government said the controversial project is run by the regional government and that it is not aware of the details. “I do not believe that we are at a point where the Ministry of Unification and regional government should meet to discuss the details of the plan,” said Lee Jong-joo, a spokesperson from the Unification Ministry. “We believe that Incheon city government proposed the research to review a long-term plan at this point.”
In April, Lee In-young, Minister of Unification, argued that the role of local governments would be very important in the future of inter-Korean exchange.
“I believe inter-Korean exchange and cooperation by local governments that meet the demand of the people and have regional traits has the potential to create a large space for advancing inter-Korean relations and bringing peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Lee said last month.
Currently, local governments that sign deals with North Korea must then obtain approval from the Unification Ministry to push ahead with such projects. According to the ministry, a ‘pre-approval system’ is under discussion that will have the Unification Ministry grant approval to local governments before actually signing deals with North Korea. This, it is argued, will give local governments more flexibility in negotiating and working out project details with North Korea – without having to worry about the deal ultimately being rejected by the Unification Ministry.
Some experts raised concerns that the government is encouraging regional governments to look for ways to develop inter-Korean relations as the central government has limited options due to international sanctions toward North Korea. Thus, in effect the Moon administration aims to use local governments to bypass sanctions, it is claimed.
