Gadeokdo Airport project in crisis

[Anchor]

The construction project for the new airport on Gadeokdo Island in Busan is facing another crisis.

The government and the preferred negotiation partner, the Hyundai Construction Consortium, have decided to suspend the contract after showing differences over the construction period.

The government will need to find a new construction company, but that does not seem easy.

Reporter Yoon Ah-rim has the details.

[Report]

The Gadeokdo new airport aims to open by the end of 2029.

Initially, the goal was to open in 2035, but the timeline was moved up to attract the Busan Expo.

Last year, it seemed progress was being made when the Hyundai Construction Consortium was selected as the preferred negotiation partner, but the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced yesterday (May 8) that the contract would be suspended.

The issue was the construction period.

The government proposed 7 years.

Hyundai Construction insists that 9 years are needed.

[Hyundai Construction official/Voice Altered: "As a result of the basic design, the difficulty of construction is quite high, as we need to stabilize weak ground that reaches up to 60 meters."]

The Gadeokdo new airport has been pushed and canceled repeatedly for over 20 years.

Massive construction costs, low economic feasibility, and difficulties in construction have been pointed out as issues.

About 60% of the airport area will be created by filling in the sea.

This time, Hyundai Construction has expressed the need for a longer construction period due to the construction of breakwaters to block high waves reaching up to 12 meters and the stabilization of weak ground.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to verify the basic design submitted by Hyundai Construction and consult experts to discuss an appropriate construction period.

After that, it seems they will proceed with a re-bidding process to select a construction company.

However, since the previous competitive bidding process was converted to a negotiated contract after failing four times, significant difficulties are expected in selecting a new construction company as well.

This is Yoon Ah-rim from KBS News.