On September 11, the plaintiffs celebrated the court’s decision to nullify the Saemangeum Airport master plan, declaring, ‘We have safeguarded the Sura tidal flats.’ (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — A South Korean court has canceled the government’s plan to build a new airport on the ecologically sensitive Saemangeum tidal flats, a ruling hailed by environmental groups as a rare legal victory for conservation.
The Seoul Administrative Court on Thursday sided with a coalition of 1,308 citizen plaintiffs who argued that the Transport Ministry failed to adequately assess the risk of bird strikes and ignored the ecological importance of the proposed site, known as Sura tidal flat.
The area is home to more than 60 legally protected species, including endangered migratory birds and natural monuments, and forms part of the East Asian–Australasian Flyway that connects with UNESCO-listed wetlands in Seocheon.
Judge Lee Ju-young wrote that the ministry’s basic plan for the airport “was unlawful and must be revoked” because it downplayed collision risks and neglected the likelihood of ecological damage.
(Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Outside the courthouse, members of the Saemangeum Airport Opposition Alliance declared, “We have saved the Sura tidal flats,” urging President Lee Jae-myung’s administration to abandon the project entirely. The group had filed suit in 2022 after the ministry finalized the plan.
“This ruling is not just about one airport,” the coalition said in a statement. “It is a turning point that demands reconsideration of all state-led projects pursued unilaterally by the government.”
The decision stunned long-time activists, including Catholic priest and veteran campaigner Father Moon Jeong-hyun, who said, “I have spent my life challenging government policy but never once won. Today’s ruling must mark the start of a new path for environmental protection.”
The government has not yet indicated whether it will appeal. But the ruling is expected to reverberate through other large-scale infrastructure projects, underscoring the growing legal weight of environmental considerations in South Korea’s development policy.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
