Damaged Homes and Farmland... What Did the First Investigation into New Airport Delay Damages Reveal?

[Anchor]

Residents in the relocation site are continuing to suffer due to the Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport project, which has been stalled for six years. Residents' appeals that their homes and farmland have been ruined due to project delays were not an exaggeration. An investigation by Uiseong County into Bian-myeon, a joint relocation site, revealed that visible property damages alone exceed 3 billion won.

TBC reporter Seo Eun-jin has the story.

[Reporter]

A village in Bian-myeon, Uiseong County, where the Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport is set to be built.

Upon entering the village, traditional Korean houses with mud walls and slate roofs are everywhere.

They are so dilapidated that they look like they could collapse at any moment, but development restrictions tied to the new airport project have prevented even basic repairs.

Inside the houses, broken kitchen sinks are left unattended, and inadequate heating leaves the rooms freezing.

[Wee Geum-ok / Head of Doam 1-ri, Bian-myeon, Uiseong County: The slate roofs are collapsing and sinking, and the walls are entirely made of mud bricks, which are dangerous when it rains.]

In a nearby peach orchard, expectations of the airport prevented the timely replacement of aging fruit trees, leading to declining yields.

As residents' damages snowballed, Uiseong County conducted a survey on resident damages in Bian-myeon, a joint relocation site, from October 1 to October 23.

Even when counting only immediately visible damages to orchards and houses, there were 305 cases totaling over 3.1 billion won in damages.

Considering the survey targeted 278 households, the results show that almost all residents have suffered damages, revealing a serious decline in their quality of life due to housing deterioration.

[Jeon Sang-jun / Secretary General of Uiseong County Relocation Countermeasure Committee: Our right to survival is already being shaken before the new airport even happens. We need to know how long these development permit restrictions will be tied up, and if they must be restricted, they should at least accommodate the convenience of the residents currently living there.]

[Choi Yu-chul / Mayor of Uiseong County: The most urgent task right now is to proceed with land compensation. The amount required for this is estimated to be around 500 billion won, and Gyeongsangbuk-do is quite willing to shoulder this amount...]코스피

However, as Daegu City, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and political circles show differences of opinion over the new airport project method, land compensation within the year is practically impossible.

This is the first time resident damages have been investigated after finalizing the new airport site.

Attention is focused on what solutions relevant authorities will present to residents who are left with only despair amid project delays.

(Photo: Kim Do-yun from TBC, Design: Kim Se-yun from TBC)

Seo Eun-jin, TBC
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.