The plan for the opening of the Busan Gadeokdo New Airport in December 2029 is effectively facing the risk of being abandoned.
According to the Gadeokdo New Airport Construction Authority and Busan City on the 28th, the consortium led by Hyundai E&C, the selected contractor for the site development work of the new airport, is set to submit a basic design plan stating that the construction period needs to be extended to 9 years (108 months). This is an addition of 2 years compared to the government's specified 7 years (84 months).
The government has prioritized the construction of runways and terminals to achieve a partial opening by the end of 2029. However, if the basic design plan submitted by the Hyundai E&C consortium is followed, operations at the new airport will be impossible at that time.
The current project, which is being conducted through a negotiated contract, cannot change the contractual terms midway according to the national contracting law. This means that if the contractor declares it cannot meet existing conditions, it is essentially equivalent to stating that "current conditions make the project difficult to execute."
Within the government, there are discussions about the possibility of stripping the Hyundai E&C consortium of its status as the preferred negotiator. However, since no other companies expressed intent to participate during last year's bidding process, it will be difficult to replace the contractor. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is reportedly planning to consolidate its position after officially reviewing the basic design plan.
The issue of construction costs is also a variable. It has been reported that Hyundai E&C has indicated that it needs about 1 trillion won more than the government's budgeted amount of 10.5 trillion won in the basic design plan. Both the construction period and budget are exceeding the government's standards, leading to greater uncertainty regarding the project timeline.
Political circles and civil society in the Busan region are expressing backlash against the possibility that the promise of opening in 2029 may not be kept. In particular, with next year's early presidential election approaching, there are concerns that the Gadeokdo New Airport issue could lead to a deterioration of public sentiment. Busan City stated, "We regret the situation," and urged both the government and the contractor to take responsible actions to avoid any additional delays in the project.