President Lee Jae Myung ordered a new presidential task force to resolve regional strife surrounding the relocation of the Gwangju military airport as he held his first town hall meeting in Gwangju on Wednesday.
Lee’s town hall with Gwangju and South Jeolla residents at the National Asian Culture Center was broadcast live and came just three weeks after his inauguration as president as a part of his efforts to strengthen direct communication with the people.
The instructions are in keeping with Lee’s campaign promise of relocating the Gwangju military airport with government help, and came after the president listened to the views of the South Jeolla governor, Gwangju mayor and head of Muan County Office during the meeting.
The Gwangju metropolitan government and South Jeolla provincial government have pushed for a plan to relocate Gwangju’s military airport to Muan, where it would be integrated with Muan International Airport, while the county’s residents vehemently oppose the plan. Gwangju hopes the relocation will open land development opportunities and assuage noise complaints of city residents living close to the airport.
After the local heads voiced their views, Lee said, “We have confirmed each other’s positions, and since there is mutual distrust, I think it is right for the state to take responsibility.”
Lee said he will let the central government “take the lead” in resolving the regional conflict and create a presidential task force.
The task force will involve the defense, finance and transport ministries and local governments and include conducting field surveys as quickly as possible, involving residents and external experts.
Lee acknowledged Muan’s refusal of Gwangju’s offer of 1 trillion won ($733.54 million) to support the airport’s relocation, taking into consideration existing regional distrust and the inconveniences the county’s residents may suffer.
The unscripted meeting allowed Lee to take questions directly from the public, according to the presidential office in a statement.
The meeting was initially scheduled to take place behind closed doors with around 70 people, but Lee decided to expand the town hall at the last minute to include more participants and to televise it live, with some 200 people turning up for the event.
Attendees included family members of the victims of the deadly Jeju Air crash at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29 last year that killed 179 people.
The town hall was initially hosted by presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, but Lee at one point took over emceeing and directly called on participants with questions, exemplifying his style of field-oriented governing.
Local residents expressed a range of opinions, with some welcoming the shift to a central government-led approach to the decade-long regional airport conflict, while others voiced skepticism over the premature relocation plan.
In his presidential campaign, Lee also pledged to make Gwangju the country’s leading AI city.
Lee joked at times, including over allegations of his involvement in the Daejang-dong land development scandal during his time as Seongnam mayor, saying he was “no expert at making money.” He also interjected with his own questions to speakers on areas he was curious about, encouraging back-and-forth conversations.
The live broadcast format is also seen to reflect the Lee administration’s intent to resolve distrust and enable forums to exchange opinions through transparent discussions of local conflicts and public sentiment.
Lee’s presidential office announced on Tuesday that it had launched an online platform to gather public opinion to help shape government policies and enhance communication with the people. Through the public “mailbox,” people will be able to send questions through a Google Form, which will be reported to the president, who plans to address issues of broader interest promptly.
This marks Lee’s first visit as president to the Honam region, encompassing Gwangju and North and South Jeolla, traditionally a liberal stronghold.
Earlier Wednesday, Lee became the first sitting president to visit the Sorokdo National Hospital, a clinic for patients with Hansen’s disease, or leprosy, on Sorok Island, in Goheung County, South Jeolla.
First lady Kim Hea Kyung visited the hospital during Lee’s presidential campaign trail and promised to return with the president after the election, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a statement.
Residents of the area told Lee about the painful history of forced isolation and childbirth bans on leprosy patients on Sorok Island, dating back to the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule.
“Patients with Hansen’s disease still face discrimination and prejudice in many parts of society. I pay deep tribute to the lives of the patients who have long endured pain, maintaining human dignity and the value of the community,” Lee later posted on X.
He then thanked “religious and medical professionals who have cared for the weak and shared love in places not reached by the government.”
BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]
