Parties Clash over Incheon International Airport

In relation to the bidding for business development in outlying areas of the new airport, Paik Seong-Hong and Ahn Sang-Soo (Construction and Transportation committee of the Grand National Party) insisted that the review team already discussed the land usage fee, which Incheon International Airport Corp.(IIAC)`s president Kang Dong-Suk raised when he requested for the reevaluation to select business bidder again.

Paik and Ahn argued as such, revealing the document on `review of the business plan` that was submitted to Incheon International Airport Corp.(IIAC)`s president Kang Dong-Suk by the review team.

According to the document, although Wonik Corp. offered 32.5 billion won, which was much less than Airport 72 Consortium`s 172.9 billion won, the review team selected Wonik Corp. as the priority negotiator based on the rational that the IIAC could demand more land usage fee during the negotiation process for the business development.

Reps. Paik and Ahn said, ``Kang, who is aware of situation, seems to have other impure intention as he tries to exclude Wonik Corp.`` The GNP Floor leader Lee Jae-Oh said yesterday that ``this incident is a case of illegality and corruption, involving political power. As soon as the National Assembly`s investigation is over on the issue of media tax probe, we will consider another investigation on this incident.`` ``Cheong Wa Dae should reprehend the related people and reveal truth.``

However, Jun Yong-Hak, spokesperson of the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) said that ``the political circle cannot comment on the selection of business bidder. The government will investigate only if there is any suspicious element. If investigation is necessary, the government will find out the truth.``

Meanwhile, Cheong Wa Dae decided to investigate Kook Jung-Ho, a director of Cheong Wa Dae`s civil affairs secretariat, when he comes back from vacation on Wednesday. If it is confirmed that Kook is involved in the IIAC`s selection process, Cheong Wa Dae plans to severely punish him.

A high-ranking official of Cheong Wa Dae said that ``regarding Kook, we will investigate why Kook called Lee Sang-Ho, the former head of the IIAA development project, and whether Kook had asked Lee for a favor.``

Song In-Soo issong@donga.com