[2026 National Assembly Audit] Ruling and Opposition Clash over Mass Delays at Jeju Airport, Trade Barbs over Presidential Aircraft's Role (Update)

Korea Airports Corporation: "It cannot be attributed solely to the presidential aircraft"
Kim Eunhye: "Is the airport corporation some kind of presidential office secretary's office for takeoffs?"
MOLIT: Airport corporations will not be merged... "The matter will be reconsidered later"

The ruling and opposition parties clashed over whether the presidential aircraft was responsible for the mass flight delays at Jeju International Airport on October 16.

Kim Beomho, acting president of Incheon International Airport Corporation, and Kim Wonjun, president of Korea Airports Corporation, speak during a parliamentary audit of Incheon International Airport Corporation, Korea Airports Corporation and other organizations at Incheon International Airport Corporation in Yeongjong-gu, Incheon, on the morning of October 22, 2026. Photo by Airport Photojournalists Group

At a National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee audit held on October 22 at Incheon International Airport Corporation in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jeon Yonggi said, "Of the 512 flights at Jeju Airport on October 16, 237 were delayed, but People Power Party members are blaming all of them on the presidential aircraft." He added, "According to airport corporation data, 63 of the 129 flights between noon and 4 p.m. (48.8%) were already delayed."

Kim Wonjun, president of Korea Airports Corporation, replied, "It is true that the delays began early."

Asked about the causes of the delays, Kim said, "It was a Friday, so many people were traveling for the weekend, and the National Sports Festival was also taking place. Even though the number of flights rose to 512, that is not an enormous figure. Equipment brought by athletes, such as bicycles and archery gear, inevitably takes longer to process than ordinary passengers' baggage."

When Jeon asked, "Can we say that the overall delays were not caused by the presidential aircraft?" Kim replied, "This is not something that can be attributed to that one factor alone."

People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Sangbeom, however, said, "There were no notable variables other than air traffic control related to takeoffs and landings that day, yet the delay rate surged to 44.8%." He added, "We have no choice but to conclude that air traffic control for the presidential aircraft's takeoff and landing was the biggest cause of the large-scale delays."

Jeong Chaegyo, director of aviation policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, answers lawmakers' questions during a parliamentary audit of Incheon International Airport Corporation, Korea Airports Corporation, Gadeokdo New Airport Construction Corporation, the Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology, the National Aviation Museum of Korea and other institutions, held at Incheon International Airport Corporation in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, on Oct. 22, 2026. Photo by Airport Photojournalists Group.

People Power Party lawmaker Kim Eunhye also said, "Thousands of people were inconvenienced because of a schedule change by one person, the president. Yet the airport corporation is now hiding from the public why flights bound for Gimpo had to head to Incheon." She added, "I requested the submission of Jeju Airport's air traffic control logs, but the corporation is refusing to provide them, citing the Official Information Disclosure Act, which has nothing to do with the National Assembly Act or the Act on Testimony, Appraisal, etc. before the National Assembly, as well as an agreement between agencies. The corporation even said in its written response that it could not disclose the request for the documents. Is the airport corporation some kind of presidential office secretary's office for takeoffs?"

On October 16, 237 of the 512 flights operated at Jeju Airport (46.3%) were delayed, inconveniencing about 44,600 passengers. The opposition raised suspicions that delays to President Lee Jaemyung's presidential aircraft, which attended the opening ceremony of the National Sports Festival, may have triggered a chain reaction that delayed regular flights as well.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, "The period of air traffic control for the presidential aircraft's takeoff lasted only about 10 minutes." It explained, "After the presidential aircraft departed, flights bound for Gimpo and Gimhae airports were delayed, including some that had to divert to Incheon Airport because of nighttime noise restrictions. However, those delays resulted from delays that had been ongoing since that morning, and the presidential aircraft's impact was limited."

The possible merger of Incheon International Airport Corporation and Korea Airports Corporation was also discussed at the audit that day.

Yoo Eui-dong, chair of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, and Rep. Bok Ki-wang, the ruling party's committee secretary, speak in a whisper during a state audit of Incheon International Airport Corporation, Korea Airports Corporation and other organizations at the Incheon International Airport Corporation in Yeongjong, Incheon, on the morning of the 22nd. Oct. 22, 2026. Photo by Airport Photojournalists Group.

Asked by Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jeong Ilyoung whether it had been decided not to consolidate the airports, Jeong Chaegyo, chief of the Aviation Policy Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, replied, "It is not currently included among the options."

In response to a similar question from Cho Kuk Innovation Party lawmaker Hwang Unha, he said, "The current conclusion is that they will not be merged," adding, "The matter is to be reconsidered after assessing whether regional airports can be revitalized."

On September 3, the government announced in its "Plan to Reform Public Institution Functions" that it would defer the merger of Incheon International Airport Corporation, Korea Airports Corporation, and the Gadeokdo New Airport Construction Authority, and first pursue measures to revitalize regional airports. To that end, it said it would establish a tentatively named "Airport Strategy Council" to develop specialized strategies for each regional airport, plans for cooperation with Incheon Airport, and measures to improve the financial structure of regional airports.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.