Nov 23, 2023 Newsdesk Latest News, Rest of Asia, Top of the deck  
Jeju, a semi-autonomous island in South Korea with foreigner-only casinos, should contemplate permitting a new integrated resort (IR) with casino in the coastal location of Jungmun (pictured), to coincide with the launch of a second civil airport on Jeju if the latter scheme goes ahead.
This is according to Kim Jong-min, a former national Minister of Culture and Tourism who served from 2007 to 2008. He was speaking at the Jeju International Casino Policy Forum on Tuesday, organised by Jeju Special Self-Governing Province.
Mr Kim suggested a national government announcement regarding a second civil airport for Jeju might come by the end of this year, with construction starting three to four years after that, and with such a scheme opening in 2030 at the earliest. The proposed location is in the western portion of the island, 55 kilometres (34.2 miles) – or about 70 minutes via the current road network – from Jungmun, according to a document from the country’s Ministry of Environment, seen by GGRAsia’s South Korea correspondent.
The former minister said a new casino-resort complex at Jungmun would help the island compete with regional gaming destinations including: a casino cluster at Incheon, near South Korea’s main airport serving the capital Seoul; the casino duopoly of Singapore; and the impending Osaka integrated resort (IR) in Japan. The latter might open in 2030, according to statements by the Osaka authorities.
Jungmun, in southwestern Jeju, already hosts the Shilla Jeju Hotel including the MegaLuck Casino, managed by Hong Kong-listed New Silkroad Culturaltainment Ltd.
The idea of a second civil airport on Jeju was proposed as long ago as 1989. According to a document from June this year, issued by a body called the Airport Expansion Support Group, under the Jeju government, detailed investigation of the idea began in 2013.
A business plan was drawn up, indicating a capital investment of nearly KRW6.67 trillion (US$5.11 billion). Such a facility would be designed to handle just over 19.9 million passenger journeys per year, and would have a 3,200-metre (about 10,500-foot) runway.
The current Jeju International Airport has a near-25.9-million passenger journey capacity annually and has two runways: one of 3,180 metres and another of 1,910 metres. According to an Airport Expansion Support Group representative, “as the current airport’s passenger capacity has been above 90 percent, it is the right time to have second civil airport”.
The group also said the plan for a second airport was preferred to trying to expand the current air hub, as that would require land reclamation from the sea.
In a document issued for Tuesday’s casino policy forum, Oh Young Hun, governor of Jeju province, said the government there was “steadfast” in its commitment to lead market diversification in Jeju’s casino industry through strengthened overseas promotion.
The document also quoted Kim Kyung Hak, chairperson of Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Council, saying direct flights from major Chinese cities and expanded routes from Hong Kong and Macau to Jeju had contributed to the “robust” growth of the Jeju casino industry. In common with other places, Jeju inbound tourism had been severely disrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The first tourism-related chartered passenger flight in seven years from mainland China to Jeju, was welcomed on the first weekend of this month.
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