Cheongju City Council called for the relocation of Seongmu Airfield to be included in discussions about relocating the Air Force Academy.
The concern is that if only the educational functions are relocated while flight-training functions remain, the burdens experienced by residents of Namil-myeon could continue.
This recommendation does not announce a finalized relocation; it conveys the local community’s demands regarding how the government and Ministry of National Defense should pursue the plan.
3-Line Summary
1. Cheongju City Council called for a joint relocation
2. Seongmu Airfield was excluded from the relocation targets
3. Adoption of the recommendation does not confirm the relocation
The “Joint Relocation” Demand Adopted on September 9
At the 105th Special Session’s second plenary meeting on September 9, Cheongju City Council adopted a recommendation calling for measures to protect Cheongju citizens’ rights and interests and promote regional coexistence in connection with the relocation of the Air Force Academy. The core of the recommendation is a demand that the Air Force Academy and Seongmu Airfield be relocated together.
According to a Newsis report, the council demanded that Cheongju City and local residents be guaranteed participation in the process of deciding the Air Force Academy relocation plan, and that the views of the city and residents also be reflected in plans to use the existing academy site. The recommendation also called for the formation of a regional coexistence consultative body involving representatives of Chungcheongbuk-do, Cheongju City, and local residents.
The council said it plans to deliver the recommendation to the president, the speaker of the National Assembly, the prime minister, and the minister of national defense, among others. These are demands adopted by Cheongju City Council, and the cited reports do not confirm that the government has accepted them or changed the scope of the relocation.
The Issue of Separating Educational and Flight-Training Functions
Chungbuk Ilbo reported that in July, the government and Ministry of National Defense announced a basic plan to establish the Armed Forces Academy at Ja운dae in Daejeon by integrating the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies. Opinions in Cheongju are also divided over the relocation of the Air Force Academy itself.
The focus of the current dispute is Seongmu Airfield, the Air Force Academy’s practice airfield. Newsis reported that opposition has continued, centered on residents of Namil-myeon, as Seongmu Airfield was excluded from the relocation targets. The city council said it would be difficult to accept a plan under which the educational functions are moved to Daejeon while Seongmu Airfield and only the flight-training functions remain in Cheongju.
A report by Jungbu Maeil noted that the city council’s recommendation pointed out that Namil-myeon had experienced flight noise, altitude restrictions, and violations of property rights for 40-plus years. Accordingly, what the city council demanded was not merely vacating the academy site, but discussing the relocation of the flight-training functions as well as the use of the sites afterward.
The Question of “What Remains,” Rather Than Support for or Opposition to Relocation
The relocation of the Air Force Academy has generated differing interpretations regarding the local economy and development opportunities. Chungbuk Ilbo reported that both concerns that the relocation could damage the local economy and views that using the existing site could create an opportunity for regional development have emerged.
However, the city council’s recommendation takes the position that if the airfield and flight-training functions remain as they are, the region’s living-environment and property-rights issues cannot be separated from discussions of development. It also includes a demand that, if relocating the airfield together is impossible, the plan to move the Air Force Academy to Daejeon should be scrapped entirely.
The key point to confirm in this matter is not merely whether the Air Force Academy will be relocated. The issue will turn on which facilities the government’s plan actually designates for relocation and whether the consultations and regional coexistence measures requested by Cheongju City and its residents are reflected.
References
Tags #AirForceAcademy #AirForceAcademyRelocation #SeongmuAirfield #CheongjuCityCouncil #Cheongju #Namilmyeon #ArmedForcesAcademy #DaejeonJa운dae #FlightTraining #MilitaryAviationFacilities #RegionalCoexistenceConsultativeBody #AcademyIntegration