The start of priority construction at Gadeokdo New Airport has slipped from early November to sometime before the end of 2026 as the government and Daewoo Engineering & Construction’s consortium remain divided over cost adjustments and contractual guarantees. The ruling party and government are discussing an 850 billion won increase in the total project budget, from 10.7 trillion won to 11.55 trillion won, although the figure could change during parliamentary discussions.
The government still aims to sign the priority-work contract this year and begin the main construction in the first half of 2027, while a proposed special-law revision would set the cost-adjustment reference date at the occurrence of force majeure rather than the contract date. The airport construction corporation has also presented measures to reduce ecological, noise, vibration, dust and soil-runoff impacts during an environmental assessment briefing for residents.