Defense ministry to push for temporary relocation of Gwangju air base operations

SEOUL, Aug. 11 (Yonhap) -- The defense ministry vowed Tuesday to actively push for the temporary relocation of Air Force operations from an air base in the southwestern city of Gwangju to help speed up a key chip cluster project in the broader surrounding region.

Its pledge reinforces the government's broader push to build a vast semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) cluster in the country's southwestern and central regions, a multibillion-dollar project joined by Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc.

The Gwangju air base, home to the Air Force's 1st Fighter Wing, has been picked as the site for the envisioned chip cluster. The government wants to relocate the air base to the nearby county of Muan but has faced pushback from the municipal government and residents.

At a public-private meeting on the mega chip cluster project Monday, President Lee Jae Myung instructed the defense ministry to temporarily relocate Gwangju military airport operations to another site to expedite the project.

"We will actively cooperate with the government's policy to strengthen the competitiveness of the semiconductor industry and minimize the impact of the temporary relocation on national security and military readiness," the ministry said.

"To do so, we will actively review and push for a plan to temporarily relocate the airport operations by mid-2028," it added.

The relocation would require Seoul to consult with the U.S. military stationed there as the Gwangju air base is jointly operated by the air forces of both countries, as a collocated operating base (COB). A COB operates as a base from which the U.S. Air Force can deploy its assets in the event of a contingency. The base includes land provided to the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) by the South Korean government.

"We will work closely with relevant agencies for consultations with the U.S. side to ensure an early return of land provided to the USFK," the ministry said.

The South Korean Air Force conducts missions at the Gwangju air base, including advanced flight training for fighter pilots, defending its southwestern airspace. The base also operates T-50 advanced jet trainers and domestically developed TA-50 light attack aircraft. The military is reportedly considering relocating three air squadrons under the 1st Fighter Wing to three other fighter wings in the central Chungcheong region. The Air Force said it will come up with a plan to ensure a timely relocation of the assets from the Gwangju base in a way that would not affect defense posture and operational readiness.