광주 군공항 이전에 10조 원.."통합시 20조 원으로 충당?"[목포MBC 뉴스데스크]

[Mokpo MBC News] ◀ Anchor ▶ Following the relocation of the Gwangju Military Airport to Muan, Muan County is scheduled to receive support funds amounting to 640 billion won. However, as the funding is being raised through a "donation-for-transfer" method utilizing profits from the development of the former site, the payment of compensation could become uncertain if the project costs fail to be secured, just as they were in Daegu. Amidst this, as the Integrated City Transition Committee has indicated that it may invest a portion of the 20 trillion won in government support funds, concerns are being raised that the project costs will ultimately be covered by the integrated city's own finances. Reporter Park Hye-jin reports. ◀ Report ▶ Muan County has agreed to receive 640 billion won from Gwangju City as compensation for the relocation of the Gwangju Military Airport. This compensation plan was a major point of contention in the recent local elections as well. ◀ SYNC ▶ Jeong Young-deok, then-candidate for Muan County Governor / Muan County Governor Candidate Election Debate last month "He said that if there is a profit, we will give it, but if there isn't, we don't have to give it. How can we trust that..." The controversy stems from the 'donation versus transfer' method. CG The structure is such that Gwangju City, the project implementer, first invests approximately 10 trillion won to relocate the military airport to Muan, and then recovers the project costs using the profits generated from developing the existing military airport site. Gwangju City has announced plans to pay Muan County 640 billion won upfront simultaneously with the commencement of construction. ◀ INT ▶ Lee Hye-hyang / Head of Future Growth Division, Muan County "We view this as a safeguard because we consider the compensation to be received simultaneously with the start of the project, rather than being received after the development. That is why we promoted this to the residents of Muan County as well." The problem is that the funding source itself for Gwangju City, the starting point of the relocation project, is unclear. In fact, the Daegu military airport relocation project also adopted the same donation-for-transfer method, but it has been unable to break ground for three years due to a failure to find an investment company. ◀ SYNC ▶ Daegu City Official/Voice altered "Since this is a long-term project worth over 10 trillion won spanning more than 10 years, companies find it structurally impossible to make the project profitable at present." While Gwangju City maintains the position that it will request government support if no private investors appear, Daegu also previously pursued the same method only to have it fall through after facing opposition from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Ultimately, recognizing the limitations of relying solely on the donation-for-transfer method, Daegu City has moved to amend relevant laws. CG Meanwhile, the transition committee of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated City, which will inherit the project, indicated that it could utilize a portion of the 20 trillion won the government pledged to provide in conjunction with the launch of the special city for the military airport relocation project. Ultimately, critics point out that the burden on Gwangju City could expand into a burden shared by both Jeonnam and Gwangju. ◀ ST-UP ▶ Calls are being raised that financing plans must be thoroughly vetted from the early stages of the project, as the key issue is whether the money can actually be raised, which is more important than the promise of hundreds of billions of won in compensation. This is Park Hye-jin from MBC News.