"Gwangju Military Airport to Be Temporarily Relocated by 2028"... Declaring a "Blitz"

[Anchor]

President Lee Jae-myung has ordered that the functions of the Gwangju Military Airport, designated as the site for the Honam semiconductor cluster, be temporarily relocated to another military facility by mid-2028. He emphasized that the administration must move beyond a simple speed battle and wage a blitzkrieg.

Reporter Park Yerim has the story.

[Reporter]

President Lee Jae-myung presided over a joint public-private inspection meeting for the three major mega-projects.

He declared a "blitz" for the creation of the semiconductor cluster's site and infrastructure.

[President Lee Jae-myung: We must simultaneously pursue related procedures to drastically reduce the required time and continuously improve regulations to ensure the fastest possible execution.]

Regarding the 800 trillion won "Honam Semiconductor Cluster," he urged swift execution, citing the example of Taiwan's semiconductor giant TSMC, which built a plant in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, in just 22 months.

In particular, he gave specific instructions to the Ministry of National Defense regarding the relocation of the Gwangju Military Airport, which has been designated as the cluster site.

[President Lee Jae-myung: I hope measures will be taken to temporarily relocate the functions of the Gwangju base to another military airport by mid-2028 so that the Gwangju Military Airport site can be utilized early on as a semiconductor industrial complex.]

Because the Gwangju Military Airport is a South Korea-U.S. Combined Operations Base known as "COB," consultations with U.S. Forces Korea are also essential to accelerate the establishment of the Honam semiconductor cluster.

A senior Cheong Wa Dae official stated, "The U.S. side is also responding positively to the discussions," adding, "We will complete the relocation of military facilities and temporary decentralized deployment by the second half of 2028."

Cheong Wa Dae also stated that it plans to push for the enactment of a "Mega-Special Zone Special Act" within this year to shorten various licensing and approval procedures, while swiftly securing infrastructure such as electricity and water. Regarding investment plans for Chungcheong and Yeongnam, which are part of the three major mega-projects, it announced that SK hynix and Samsung Electronics are scheduled to begin construction or facility expansion within this year.

(Camera Reporter: Jeong Sang-bo, Yoon Hyung | Video Editor: Wee Won-yang, Design: Lee Ga-jin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.