![A development plan for the Gadeokdo Airport complex city free economic zone [Busan city government]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/08/26/news-p.v1.20260826.e7a2af29723b4c5286a6d6bb9c9e8a7c_P1.png)
Busan city has prepared a draft designation plan for the Gadeokdo Airport complex city free economic zone along with a strategic environmental impact assessment, and will open both documents for public review from Wednesday through Sept. 23, the city said.
Through the public review, the city will release the draft free economic zone designation plan and the environmental impact assessment and gather feedback from local residents. Resident briefings, held under Article 13 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, will be organized by the city's new airport promotion bureau and take place at 2 p.m. on Sept. 7 at the Gangseo-gu district office auditorium in Busan and on Sept. 8 at the Ungdong 2-dong community welfare center in Jinhae-gu, Changwon.
Busan city drew up the development plan for the Gadeokdo Airport complex city based on the master plan for Gadeokdo New Airport, and finalized it after three rounds of consultation with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in 2025. The plan calls for a new waterway to open a channel blocked by the Dongseон seawall, the creation of a lake park to strengthen disaster prevention and waterfront functions, and a car-free urban layout connected by pedestrian parks running east-west and north-south.
The draft free economic zone designation plan will be available for public review at Busan city hall, Gangseo-gu district office and the Gadeokdo-dong community welfare center, and residents may submit written opinions during the review period. The draft strategic environmental impact assessment will also be available at the Ungdong 2-dong community welfare center, with written opinions accepted through Oct. 2.
After the public review, the city plans to assess which submitted opinions to incorporate, consult with relevant government agencies and apply to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for free economic zone designation this year. The city aims to secure final designation and approval of the development plan following deliberation by the ministry's free economic zone committee in 2027, after which it intends to move ahead in earnest with the Gadeokdo Airport complex city development project, starting with land compensation.
Park Jae-hong, head of the city's new airport promotion bureau, said the public review and briefings would help address residents' questions about the Gadeokdo Airport complex city development project and ensure their opinions are fully reflected. "We will push ahead with the project without delay so that the Gadeokdo Airport complex city can establish itself as a new growth hub for Busan," he said.
kaf2002@heraldcorp.com
