Photo: Kim Jong-in. Credit: Website of the People Power Party.
Kim Jong-in 김종인, leader of the conservative opposition People Power Party 국민의힘, reversed course to say he supported the new international airport in Busan. In addition to the Gadeok-do Island Airport 가덕도신공항, Kim pledged to build the undersea tunnel between South Korea and Japan 한일해저터널, a project that has been periodically batted about ever since it was first proposed in 1917.
Kim’s about-face is following a sudden surge in support for the liberals in the Busan area in the past several weeks after the conservatives had been leading in the polls for the Busan mayor race by a comfortable margin. (See TBR’s previous coverage here.) The PPP legislators from the Daegu 대구 area, which had a competing plan for the southwestern regional airport near their city, continued to object to the new airport in Busan. The PPP Floor Leader Ju Ho-yeong 주호영 원내대표 declined to join Kim’s statement in favor of the Busan airport.