S. Korea to promulgate laws on relocation of military airports

The South Korean government plans to promulgate a set of special acts later this week to facilitate efforts to relocate military airports in the southern cities of Daegu and Gwangju, the defense ministry said Monday.

The promulgation is set to come Tuesday following their passage through the National Assembly on April 13 and the Cabinet last Tuesday -- a move welcomed by the residents who have complained of aircraft noise and concomitant development restrictions.

One of the acts involves a plan to move a military airport and a civilian airport in Daegu, 237 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to an integrated airport to be built in the two nearby counties of Uiseong and Gunwi.

The act entails provisions for the central government's financial support and other measures to facilitate the construction project, including exemptions from preliminary feasibility studies when necessary.

The land, infrastructure and transport ministry plans to operate a task force to pave the way for the launch of a team, which is stipulated by the act to ensure the efficient management of the project.

The other act aims to relocate a military airport in Gwangju, about 270 kilometers south of the capital.

It forms the legal basis for the central government's support for the project. The site for the new airport has yet to be determined. (Yonhap)