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Island as a new airport site. The site’s area for development was 18 some argued that the decision should be reconsidered. As it would be
times larger than Yeouido, Seoul’s financial district, and it was free from impossible to stop over 100,000 migratory birds from passing the airport,
noise issues as it was surrounded by the sea. there was a high risk of aviation accidents. In response, the government
In the early 1990s, Gimpo Airport was the only international airport investigated the migratory path of birds near the Korean Peninsula. It
in Korea. However, the decision to build another international airport found that the Yeongjong Island site was not a main migratory path, but
on Yeongjong Island encountered strong opposition. Some voices in a site for rest and food. Also, it concluded that migratory birds would
the media questioned whether Korea needed such a large international move to other areas when the mud flat was reclaimed with the airport
airport and argued that the scale of the project should be reduced. A construction.
Joint Council to discuss the issue of Yeongjong Island New Airport, The risk of aviation accidents due to fog was also discussed. Yeongjong
consisting of private environmental and transportation organizations, Island is affected by fog for 49 days a year on average, and the asphalt
was convened. It argued that the government should stop the project, pavement might increase the daily temperature difference, worsening the
as it would require an astronomical budget due to its excessive scale. fog. However, the government investigation found that fog frequency
The project was on the verge of losing the initiative even before it at Yeongjong Island was much lower than that of Gimpo Airport. In
began. However, the Korean government made a decision to prepare for addition, it was possible to navigate planes safely by introducing a
the next 30 years. It set a goal of becoming the Northeast hub airport, cutting-edge instrument landing facility.
secured a large site, and drew up gradual development plans to flexibly Differential settlement on the site was a key issue until the end. It was
expand the airport’s size. argued that there would be continuous subsidence as it would be built
However, more opposition was raised due to environmental and safety on a reclaimed mud flat, which might cause safety problems on the
issues. The area was a seasonal home for a rare migratory bird, and runways. This was true for Kansai International Airport in Japan as it
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