​Completed car and aviation industry, ‘Hwasaek’ in Won Hee-ryong’s selection… Electric vehicles and Jeju 2 Airport to gain momentum

As President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol appointed former Jeju governor Won Hee-ryong as the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, expectations from the automobile and aviation industries are growing. Since 2014, when the domestic electric vehicle market is in its infancy, the nuclear power plant branch has strengthened the electric vehicle activation policy by converting business vehicles in Jeju Island to electric vehicles. In addition, as the possibility of re-promoting the construction of Jeju 2 Airport is increasing, a ripple effect is expected in the aviation industry.

According to related industry sources on the 11th, the evaluation that the former governor’s appointment as the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport was led by a person who was well aware of industry issues for domestic automakers and airline companies. Considering the actions of the nuclear power plant branches in the past, it is expected that various infrastructure construction and revitalization policies will be implemented to promote the industry.

The nuclear power plant branch implemented various policies, such as upgrading the charging infrastructure to electric vehicle battery diagnosis service, saying that it would make Jeju Island a leading city for electric vehicles. Thanks to this, Jeju Island recorded 6.3% of electric vehicles as of the end of last year, ranking first in electric vehicle penetration. It is also known that the opinions of the former governor of the nuclear power plant were partly influenced by the freeze on electric vehicle charging rates, which was a promise made by President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol.

In particular, the nuclear power plant branch recognizes that, while freezing charging rates is an important issue to revitalize the domestic electric vehicle market, expansion of charging stations should be prioritized above all else. A related policy is the mention of the revision of the Dangerous Substances Safety Act, which enables charging of electric vehicles at existing gas stations.

An official from the auto industry said, “The former branch office opened the electric vehicle battery industrialization center for the first time in the country and even promoted the revitalization of waste battery-related industries. said.

The Jeju 2nd Airport, which was blocked by the Moon Jae-in administration and whose construction was canceled, is also expected to rise above the surface. President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol made a promise to start construction of Jeju 2nd Airport as soon as possible. It is predicted that by 2025, Jeju International Airport will exceed 31 million passengers per year and its saturation level will exceed the limit. However, despite these problems, the construction of Jeju 2 Airport was not carried out due to conflicting opinions, such as environmental impact, on the other hand.

An official from the aviation industry said, “Before the corona crisis, the Jeju International Airport runway had already exceeded its capacity to the extent that passenger planes were packed. There were a lot of them,” he explained. He added, “Once the Jeju 2nd Airport is completed, various synergies will be created, from improved profitability of domestic flights to route expansion, centering on LCCs (low-cost carriers).”

Although it has not been materialized yet, there are observations that the move of the nuclear power plant branch will have some influence on the establishment of the Aerospace Administration, which is the long-awaited dream of the aviation industry. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is a movement to create an independent organization by separating the Aviation Policy Office under the 2nd Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The aviation industry is saying that each major country is operating an independent aviation ministry, and it is a voice that the establishment of the Aerospace Administration must be done to enhance domestic aviation competitiveness.

Another official from the industry said, “Since the former governor emphasized the importance of securing aviation safety, we expect that it will contribute to the rapid establishment of the Aeronautical and Space Administration.” I hope,” he said.