The construction period for the site preparation project of Gadeokdo New Airport will be announced this week. It is expected to be unveiled at a forum held by the Gadeokdo New Airport Construction Agency, and disagreements with participating companies in the basic plan and design may pose variables. A closed expert meeting presided over by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is also scheduled to take place this week.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the construction industry on the 1st, the Gadeokdo New Airport Construction Agency will hold a "discussion on appropriate construction periods for site preparation work" at its headquarters in Busan on the morning of the 4th. At this forum, the agency will disclose the content of its reviewed appropriate construction period and gather opinions. However, this forum will be closed to the public, and the period will not be announced externally. An agency official noted, "There is nothing we can disclose since it is a closed forum."
This meeting was convened at the direction of Deputy Minister Kang Hee-eob of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. While Busan City maintains an existing construction period of 84 months for the Gadeokdo New Airport site preparation, the construction companies participating in the project are claiming 108 months, prompting a need for coordination. Initially, Hyundai E&C, which was the lead company in the consortium, proposed the shortest construction period of 108 months, but after Busan City expressed its opposition, it withdrew from the project. Companies involved in the basic plan and design will attend this meeting.
Currently, construction companies expected to participate in the project plan to withdraw if the construction period is set to the 84 months previously suggested by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport or a similar duration. They argue that without adequate time for stable soil settlement, safety cannot be guaranteed. Lotte Construction and Hanwha's construction division, both hoping to participate, stated that they will make a final decision after observing the "construction period."
A representative from a major construction company said, "If the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the agency side with Busan City, which is asserting the construction period of 84 months, the construction companies within the consortium will not participate in the project," adding, "To accelerate the site preparation work for Gadeokdo New Airport, an appropriate construction period must be designated first."
Minister Kim Yoon-deok will preside over a closed meeting one day before the agency-led forum on the 3rd. Experts related to the site preparation project of Gadeokdo New Airport will attend the meeting. This will be the second time Minister Kim has met with experts regarding the airport construction. After visiting the planned site for the airport in Gadeokdo, Gangseo District, Busan, on the 7th of last month, he conducted a meeting with experts in airport construction and project management. This upcoming meeting is expected to discuss matters related to construction direction and safety issues such as bird strikes, similar to the previous session.
An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated, "The meeting on the 3rd is a closed event to gather opinions from experts related to the construction of Gadeokdo New Airport, and details about attendees and specific content will not be disclosed."
Meanwhile, the contractors for the access railway construction outside the Gadeokdo New Airport site preparation project are also taking shape. The Lotte Construction consortium confirmed its bid for the first section in mid-last month, while the second section is expected to be awarded to either the Ssangyong Construction consortium or the Geumdong Construction consortium in early October.