hankyoreh

which some argue could endanger the safety of planes using the nearby Seoul Airport.

The Ministry of National Defense and the Air Force said construction of a second Lotte World skyscraper in Seoul's Songpa district would be possible if the direction of a runway on the east side of Seoul Airport is moved by an angle of three degrees.

It has been confirmed that the Air Force under the administration of former President Roh Moo-hyun opposed construction of the tower in 2003, saying the proposed measures could technically not guarantee the safety of aircraft using the airport.

In a parliamentary defense committee meeting Friday, Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee and Air Force Chief of Staff Lee Gye-hoon said, "If the (runway) angle is adjusted, there will be no problem with aircraft safety." They added that "such measures were not reviewed before."

However, Lee Jong-seok, a researcher at the Sejong Institute who served as deputy secretary general of the National Security Council in the early days of the Roh administration said in a telephone interview with The Hankyoreh, "At that time, under an order from then-President Roh Moo-hyun, the Air Force reviewed all possible technical measures from various angles. The Defense Ministry's plans to adjust the runway angle by three degrees and increase safety were given intensive review, but the Air Force came to the conclusion that these things would not guarantee aircraft safety," Lee said.

"Under the president's order, I was briefed by a flight colonel and a lieutenant colonel about all of the possibilities and I then encouraged them to find a possible solution. But the Air Force notified me that there were no technical measures for guaranteeing aircraft safety if the second Lotte World tower was built," Lee added.

At the time, Roh ordered the Air Force to find a way to build the second Lotte World skyscraper, citing a report that said construction of the structure could create some 28,000 jobs. Various review processes were put into motion under Roh, Lee said.

A retired Air Force general who participated in the review process at the time, said, "At the time, some Cheong Wa Dae officials said construction would be possible if the runway angle were adjusted. But then-Air Force Chief of Staff Lee Han-ho asked for three months to review the measure and he formed a task force to conduct an in-depth review. As a result, he reported that the measure could not guarantee aircraft safety."

The retired general said that after the Lee Myung-bak administration took office, former Air Force Chief of Staff Kim Eun-gi reported in August that construction of the second Lotte World skyscraper would be possible if three bases were moved: one used for Baekdu and Geumgang spy planes, another for KA-1 light air raiders and a third for the president's plane.

"The report signified that construction of the second Lotte World skyscraper would be virtually impossible, so Kim became an object of hatred for Cheong Wa Dae," the retired general said.

Kim was replaced in a personnel reshuffle in September, one month after he gave his report and approximately six months before his term was scheduled to expire.

Regarding the conflict over the runway angle and the possible threat to aircraft safety, Defense Ministry spokesman Won Tae-je said, "As far as I'm aware, the review process did not cover specifics, including adjustment of the runway angle."

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