The government decided to push ahead with the military airport transfer and industrial complex site preparation in tandem to create an 800 trillion won Honam semiconductor cluster (industrial complex). The plan is to complete the transfer of the Gwangju military airport site, which was selected for the cluster, and its temporary dispersed placement by 2028, and to use the site secured first as an industrial complex.
According to Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City on the 11th, President Lee Jae-myung on the 10th ordered regarding the creation of the Honam semiconductor cluster, "Temporarily deploy the functions of the Gwangju base to another military airport by mid-2028, and take steps so that the Gwangju military airport base can be used early as a semiconductor industrial complex." This is the first time that a target timeline has been presented for the transfer of functions of the Gwangju military airport where the Honam semiconductor cluster will be located.
In response, Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik said, "We will preemptively streamline the planned ammunition depot site by starting site preparation early so that, if corporations want, fab construction can begin as early as possible."
To expedite the creation of the semiconductor cluster, the government plans to carry out the military airport transfer and site preparation work in parallel. It will transfer military facilities in stages, and if immediate transfer is difficult, it will temporarily disperse them elsewhere and use the sites secured first for the semiconductor industrial complex. Through this, it plans to promote the establishment of a national industrial complex and industrial complex plans, aiming for the first-phase completion of a semiconductor fab in 2029.
This follows concerns that the creation of the semiconductor cluster could be delayed under the existing plan. Previously, the site for the military airport transfer had to be finalized, a new military airport built, and the entire current military facility transferred before the military airport site could be fully utilized. This structure means that whenever the military airport transfer is delayed, the groundbreaking for the semiconductor industrial complex is also delayed.
Accordingly, the government decided to expedite the survey and design service procedures initiated by the designated project implementer, Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH). It aims for a semiconductor corporations move-in agreement in Oct. this year and an exemption from the preliminary feasibility study related to industrial complex creation in Nov.–Dec.
It will also streamline preliminary surveys and administrative procedures to complete the establishment and design of the industrial complex plan next year, while prioritizing the maintenance of part of the project site within the military airport to begin construction of the first semiconductor fab.
The area expected to be developed first is the ammunition depot site within the military airport. The plan is to carry out site maintenance and related administrative procedures to prepare for fab construction before the military airport transfer.
The phased transfer of military facilities is targeted for the second half of 2028. However, details such as which military facilities will be dispersed where and in what order to transfer each facility, including the ammunition depot, have not been finalized. Consultations with related ministries, including the Ministry of National Defense, are necessary. Facilities requiring consultation with the United States are included, and observers say the pace of talks with the U.S. will also affect the schedule for creating the semiconductor industrial complex.