Presidential Chief of Staff for Policy Kim Yong-beom said on the 6th that the administration would hold an official meeting of the task force (TF) on the transfer of the Gwangju military airport within the year.
Deputy Minister Kang attended the National Assembly's Steering Committee audit that day and said, "We are working with South Jeolla, Gwangju, and Muan on preparations for the TF meeting."
He added, "The discussions are making progress," and "We will formalize it when the discussions are nearly concluded."
Earlier, President Lee Jae-myung in June ordered the formation of a TF with participation from across the government and local governments to resolve the long-stalled issue of the transfer of the Gwangju military airport.
Afterward, Muan County on Sept. 29 set out conditions for the transfer of the Gwangju civil-military airport, including the prior transfer of the Gwangju civil airport and a plan to fulfill Gwangju City's promised support of 1 trillion won.
On the day, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jeon Jin-suk (Gwangju Buk-gu B) also noted that "not a single official meeting has been held since the TF was formed at the end of June."
Deputy Minister Kang said, "We cannot accept the open call method for selecting the transfer area for the military airport that Muan County advocated," adding, "Within the current Gift-and-Grant Act, we are reviewing the incentives for the transfer area to the fullest extent."