President Yoon pledges to build new airport near Daegu by 2030

President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged "bold support" to upgrade Daegu's infrastructure, including constructing a new integrated airport by 2030, during a visit to the city on Monday.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, speaks during a public livelihood debate at Kyungpook National University in Daegu on Monday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged "bold support" to upgrade Daegu's infrastructure, including constructing a new integrated airport by 2030, during a visit to the city on Monday.

"The government will provide bold support to enable a revolutionary change in Daegu," Yoon said in a town hall meeting hosted at Kyungpook National University. "For Daegu to take a new leap forward, innovation of its old industrial structures and improvements in its old transportation infrastructure are necessary."

He said a first step towards this end is to hasten the construction of a new Daegu-Gyeongbuk integrated airport "without a hitch," which will become "a catalyst for innovation in Daegu's transportation network."

The government plans to build a new civilian and military airport straddling the North Gyeongsang counties of Uiseong and Gunwi, with construction set to begin next year. It will replace the aged civilian Daegu International Airport and a military air base.

The plan to build an integrated airport representative of the TK region, referring to the Daegu and North Gyeongsang area, and expand connectivity to a high-speed railway network by 2030 aligns with Yoon's presidential campaign pledge to the city, a traditionally conservative stronghold.

Yoon presided over a public livelihood debate, the 16th of its kind, involving government officials and civilians to discuss the theme of "Daegu arising as a new high-tech industry."

The Daegu International Airport opened in 1961 on the site of the Air Force's K2 base.

Yoon said the relocation of the civilian-military airport would transform the existing airport site, which has been underdeveloped due to noise regulations, into a center for high-tech industries that combine industry, housing, education, medicine, culture and transportation.

Daegu residents have long since complained about the noise and development restrictions related to the airport and military facility.

Yoon further pledged to significantly expand support for Daegu's high-tech industries, including robotics and future mobility.

This includes a project to invest 200 billion won ($150 million) to build a robotics testing site in Daegu's Dalseong county.

During this town hall meeting, Yoon also said that he would ensure that Daegu and other provincial areas can enjoy the benefits of the increase in medical school admission quotas.

He expressly referred to Kyungpook National University, Yeungnam University, Keimyung University and Daegu Catholic University, located in North Gyeongsang, as "traditional, prestigious medical schools."

"To strengthen local and essential medical care, we will sufficiently increase the number of medical school students and recruit local talent who have completed middle and high school in the region," Yoon said, promising to significantly increase investment in national and local medical schools.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]