The relocation plan for the Gadeokdo New Airport construction has entered a full-scale verification phase, placing the principle of "actual residency" front and center. Under a policy designed to identify compensation recipients based on real residency rather than formal requirements, only about one-third of first-round applicants were recognized as actual residents.
The Gadeokdo New Airport Construction Corporation announced Friday that it had recently notified residents within the new airport project site in Daehang-dong, Gangseo-gu, Busan, of the "first-round screening results for relocation and resettlement support recipients" and had begun the explanation procedure.
The relocation plan emphasizes "protection of actual residents," reflecting the nature of a project funded by public resources. Accordingly, the corporation set a standard under which compensation will be provided only to residents who have actually lived in the area since September 12, 2022 — one year before the public announcement date for the basic plan review. This means mere registration in the resident registry is insufficient for recognition as a beneficiary.
The corporation established residency criteria through legal consultations, meetings with external experts, and the Busan City communication advisory council. The first-round screening was conducted through comprehensive review of application documents, including credible data such as electricity and water usage records.
As a result, about two-thirds of the 330 applicants were placed on hold due to "insufficient proof of actual residency." However, the corporation decided to grant additional explanation opportunities until the end of May, taking into account cases in which residency is difficult to prove for unavoidable reasons such as illness, military service, or schooling. "We have arranged for applicants to prove actual residency through various materials including utility bill payment records, health insurance premiums, telecommunications fees, and transportation usage records," a corporation official said.
The corporation plans to finalize the list of recipients in June and presented a roadmap to begin temporary relocation procedures starting in the second half of this year. The measure is interpreted as an intent to block the recurring "speculative inflow" controversy that has plagued projects funded by national finances.
"We will thoroughly verify applicants to filter out ineligible recipients and prevent waste of national finances, while ensuring fair compensation for actual resident residents," a corporation official said.
