A second site feasibility study for the island’s second airport will be done by the end of the month. The results are expected early next year. Mike Balfour reports.

Seoul has been redoing the feasibility study on the island’s second airport since July.

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2nd feasibility study began in July

The new 3-month-long study was aimed at meeting local residents’ demands for transparency in the process of site selection.

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Residents seek extension of study period

A review panel was organized in September to monitor the feasibility study.

Meanwhile, area residents in the selected site for the new airport asked for an extension period to December to conduct the study.

Despite the demand, the feasibility study will end this month.

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Review panel agrees to end study in November

The review panel conditionally agreed to close the second investigation.

Recording
Gang Yeong-jin / Chair, 2nd Feasibility Study Review Panel
First, investigators should attend the review panel meeting and answer questions. Second, further investigations are necessary when the panel requires additional material.
<씽크:강영진/검토위원회 위원장>
"첫째, 검토위 진행 기간에는 재조사 연구진이 참석해서 답변하도록 한다. 둘째, 검토위에서 추가조사를 요구할 때에는 보완조사 등 작업을 시행한다."

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Panel investigating evaluations of candidate sites

The Second Feasibility Study Review Panel is going to look into reasons why alternatives to building the second airport were excluded, evaluation criteria for selecting a site, and assessment results of 31 candidate sites.

Recording
Park Chan-shik / Vice chair, 2nd Feasibility Study Review Panel
Other options on expanding airport facilities were excluded at the governor’s request. We believe this is inappropriate, so the first feasibility study was unbalanced.
<씽크:박찬식/검토위원회 부위원장>
"신공항을 도지사가 공문 한장으로 도지사 요청으로 제대로 된 평가를 안하고 빼버렸는데 그것이 타당하냐 정치적으로 도지사가 공문 한장으로 빼버려서 균형있는 평가가 안되는게 타당하냐는 문제가 있었고요."

In the meantime, the panel will look into the grounds for the estimate of 45 million passengers for the second airport.

It will also probe into reasons why the ground survey in (성산) Seongsan was replaced with an alternative investigation.

[Reporter] Mike Balfour
[Camera] Kim Seung-cheol

The panel has announced it will release the results of the second feasibility study and its recommendations in February next year.

Mike Balfour, KCTV