On March 17, Incheon’s Jung‑gu district issued a statement in the district mayor’s name titled “Stop airport-consolidation talks that would use Incheon Airport’s sacrifice to cover deficits at regional airports.”
In response to reports that the national government is considering merging Incheon International Airport Corporation with Korea Airports Corporation, the district criticized the proposal as a form of “anti-local administrative convenience” that would undermine national competitiveness and disregard the sacrifices of Jung‑gu and Yeongjong International City residents.
Mayor Kim Jeong‑heon said in the statement that using Incheon Airport’s surpluses and investment capacity to plug Korea Airports Corporation’s deficit—estimated at roughly 140 billion KRW (approximately 105 million USD)—would destroy Incheon Airport’s long-term competitiveness. He warned that a forced consolidation would trigger a sharp rise in debt and would curb expansion and innovation at Incheon Airport, the hub of South Korea’s aviation industry.
Kim also emphasized the merger’s injustice, pointing to long-standing local tax breaks and the hardships borne by residents.
He noted that Incheon City and Jung‑gu have supported the airport’s growth for more than two decades through over 100 billion KRW (approximately 75 million USD) in local tax exemptions, and that Yeongjong International City residents have silently endured aircraft noise, environmental damage and infringements on property rights behind the airport’s reputation as the world’s top airport.
Kim argued that Incheon Airport’s success has been achieved on the basis of residents’ sacrifices, and he called diverting that revenue to cover deficits at other regional airports a betrayal that would undermine the foundations of local self-government.
He stressed that what Yeongjong International City urgently needs is not talks about merging airport corporations but the construction of essential medical facilities and infrastructure directly tied to residents’ right to life.
Kim said the area lacks any critical medical facilities—such as a general hospital capable of handling emergencies—and that transportation links, including the Second Airport Railroad and the Yeongjong tram, as well as cultural and sports facilities, remain severely inadequate. He demanded an immediate halt to one-sided consolidation talks that ignore residents’ voices and called for Incheon Airport’s revenues to be reinvested in the airport’s economic zone and the surrounding urban infrastructure.
He added that Jung‑gu will not stand by while airport administration regresses or regional assets are appropriated, and he urged the government to focus on nurturing the airport economic zone so its benefits can spread throughout the region and the country.
