ANDONG — The National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee pressed North Gyeongsang Province on the 20th over the proposed administrative merger with Daegu, construction of a new airport, support for victims of last year's massive wildfires and the relocation of the Seokpo smelter in Bonghwa.
Committee members questioned provincial officials about obstacles to the merger and possible solutions, as well as plans for the new airport. They also criticized the handling of temporary housing for wildfire victims and the province's response to the Seokpo smelter, which remains at the center of a pollution dispute.
Rep. Kim Young-bae of the Democratic Party said the central government is providing various forms of support for the merger of Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, while talks between Daegu and North Gyeongsang have made no progress despite starting first.
Rep. Kwon Young-jin of the People Power Party said the special bill failed to clear the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, where the Democratic Party holds a majority, but added that his own side had also given cause for the delay. He called for concrete measures to address concerns in the northern part of the province, proposing merger subsidies and the relocation of public institutions.
Rep. Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party also raised concerns about development plans for northern North Gyeongsang, the placement of government offices, efforts to gather residents' views and the province's approach of merging first and addressing details later.
North Gyeongsang Gov. Lee Cheol-woo said 1 trillion won ($700 million) of the 5 trillion won in merger support funds would be invested in the northern region, and that the area would develop further once a national medical school is established there. He said relocating a second round of public institutions to northern North Gyeongsang would be difficult because it requires legislative changes.
Lawmakers also questioned the stalled relocation and construction of the new Daegu-Gyeongbuk airport.
Kwon said the site for the airport relocation was decided when he was Daegu mayor, working alongside Lee, but that the project has drifted since then. He asked about the obstacles and how they could be resolved.
Rep. Kang Myung-koo of the People Power Party, who led the audit team, said budget funds exist for relocating Gwangju Airport but none for the Daegu-Gyeongbuk airport. He said it appears the government is handling Gwangju while leaving Daegu and North Gyeongsang to manage on their own, and that the same principle should apply to military airport issues.
Lawmakers also pressed the province over support for residents displaced by the massive wildfires that damaged five cities and counties in North Gyeongsang last spring.
Rep. Lim Ho-seon of the Democratic Party said 1,898 households are still living in temporary housing a year and a half after the fires. He called for steps to reduce the inconvenience of temporary housing, faster restoration of public facilities and the rebuilding of villages.
Reps. Chae Hyun-il and Kim Young-bae of the same party criticized the province's response, recalling that some temporary housing units were washed away during heavy rains last summer because they lacked anchors to hold them in place.
They said none of the temporary housing units in Andong had anchors installed while all of those in Yeongdeok did, and that more than 100 billion won was spent without uniform guidelines for installing the units.
Questions also followed on the province's handling of the Seokpo smelter relocation.
Rep. Jin Jong-oh of the People Power Party and Rep. Lee Hae-sik of the Democratic Party said it defies common sense that a "feasibility study on relocation" was changed to a "review of a coexistence strategy" after the province formed a task force and commissioned research, and that the study was assigned to an organization other than a state-funded research institute.
Jin also said residents of Yecheon live with noise damage and restrictions on property rights because of the military airport there, while military aircraft stationed at Gwangju Airport are being relocated to Yecheon to make way for the government's semiconductor cluster. He asked what measures were being prepared.
Gov. Lee Cheol-woo said the government had not informed him and that he learned of the plan through the media. He said that once the government notifies him of its plan, he will prepare measures to prevent harm to residents and discuss the matter with them.
