SK hynix Executives Visit Gwangju Military Airport Site as 800 Trillion-Won Southwestern Semiconductor Fab Talks Begin in Earnest

Yeom Sungjin and 14 Other Representatives Conduct On-Site Assessment
Infrastructure Development Discussed with Mayor Min Hyungbae of the Unified Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City

SK hynix executives visited the Gwangju Military Airport site to assess the conditions for establishing a semiconductor fabrication plant (fab) and began discussions on specific implementation plans with Min Hyeong-bae, Special Mayor of the Integrated Jeonnam-Gwangju Metropolitan City.

According to the local business community on July 29, fifteen SK officials, including Yeom Seong-jin, President and Head of Communications at SK hynix, visited the Gwangju Military Airport and its surrounding areas in the afternoon. After a comprehensive review of the site’s size, potential areas for fab placement, transportation networks, and the supply of electricity and water, they held consultations with Mayor Min at the Gwangju City Hall.

The two parties addressed key issues such as the schedule for relocating the military airport and developing the industrial complex, securing core infrastructure, expediting the permit process, and the phased investment timeline. The notable aspect is that the discussions, which began with a preliminary inspection by working-level staff on July 23, were elevated to the executive level. On July 25, working-level representatives from Samsung Electronics also visited the site for an on-site inspection.

This move is a follow-up to the government’s “Southwestern Semiconductor Mega Project” announced last month. According to the government, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix plan to invest a total of 800 trillion won in the Gwangju Military Airport site to construct four state-of-the-art semiconductor fabs, with the aim of beginning mass production by 2030 and progressing infrastructure development and permit procedures simultaneously.

Specific details regarding the amount of investment by each company, groundbreaking schedules, and fab placement are to be finalized through further negotiations among the government, the companies, and the Integrated Jeonnam-Gwangju Metropolitan City.

The area around the military airport in Songjeong-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, where the semiconductor cluster will be established. Yonhap News Agency

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.