Minister Park Sang-woo of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said regarding Hyundai E&C, which was the preferred bidder for the construction of Gadukdo New Airport but has exited the project, "We are closely examining whether this falls under the National Contract Act or sanctions against unfair bidders between ministries."
During the full meeting of the Land Infrastructure and Transport Committee on the 25th, Minister Park responded to the suggestion made by People Power Party lawmaker Kim Do-woop that Hyundai E&C, which withdrew from participating in national bidding, should face penalties.
Hyundai E&C was selected as the preferred bidder for the construction of the Gadukdo New Airport in Busan, but declared its non-participation, stating, "We cannot accept unreasonable demands to shorten the construction period that endanger airport safety." As a result, the plans to open the Gadukdo New Airport in 2029 have effectively been jeopardized.
Lawmaker Kim noted, "I express strong regret regarding Hyundai E&C's behavior," and pointed out, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport proposed an 84-month construction period after conducting foundation drilling surveys at 42 sites for the offshore runway, but Hyundai E&C withdrew by claiming it would take 108 months without performing a single foundation drilling survey in the six months of the basic design stage."
In response to these criticisms, Minister Park said, "Although we proactively promoted the Gadukdo New Airport, I am very regretful that the opening has been delayed by more than a year," and added, "We are exploring various alternatives with experts," emphasizing that "it is important to get the Gadukdo New Airport project back on track as soon as possible."
There were also calls to revise the basic plan and increase the budget for normalizing the Gadukdo New Airport project. Lawmaker Min Hong-cheol of the Democratic Party of Korea stated, "The moment we touch the basic plan, there is a high possibility that not only the construction period but also the required budget will increase significantly," warning, "If we relax the existing plan and re-bid, wouldn't that lead us into Hyundai E&C's claims?"
Chairman Maeng Seong-kyu of the Land Infrastructure and Transport Committee said, "As the new government comes into power, the composition of the Minister and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will happen soon, but regardless of this, I hope thorough preparations for the Gadukdo New Airport will be made to ensure that there are no hindrances to enhancing national competitiveness."