[Mega Project Success Factors]①Gwangju Airbase Relocation Challenge: Securing U.S. Forces Korea Consent as the First Priority

Negotiations with the U.S. Required for Relocation of American Facilities on Base
U.S. Forces Korea: "Significant Military Interests at Gwangju Base"
"U.S. Unlikely to Withdraw Until Operational Conditions Are Secured"
‘Transfer First, Deve

Editor's Note
The government has kicked off efforts to promote three major mega projects centered around semiconductors, physical artificial intelligence (AI), and data centers. The administration is charging ahead with large-scale advanced industry investments, but there are numerous obstacles to overcome before turning these blueprints into reality. There are variable factors that could determine the success or failure of the project, such as Korea-U.S. negotiations on relocating the Gwangju Air Force Base—the planned site for the national industrial complex for semiconductors in the Honam region—ensuring community acceptance, providing sufficient power and water supply, and wastewater discharge measures. Another key task is building a new high-tech industrial ecosystem in regions that currently lack specialized personnel, an R&D base, or a robust supply chain. The Asia Business Daily has taken an in-depth look at the major issues surrounding the Honam Mega Project and analyzed whether the government’s vision can be translated into real investment and genuine industrial clustering.

On July 6, the government designated the site of Gwangju Air Force Base as the location for the national semiconductor industrial complex in the Honam region and is proceeding with the follow-up procedures. The air base is owned by the Ministry of National Defense and is used by the Air Force's 1st Fighter Wing as well as domestic commercial flights. Currently, 790,000 square meters (24,000 pyeong) serving as the ammunition storage relocation site, plus a further 1,290,000 square meters (39,000 pyeong) designated as safety zones and so forth, lack airport-related facilities and have therefore been selected as the proposed industrial complex site. However, to fully develop the area as a semiconductor industrial complex, both the Air Force base and the civilian airport must be relocated as a prerequisite.

The biggest hurdle is that Gwangju Air Force Base is designated as a Korea-U.S. Combined Operating Base (COB), which means bilateral negotiations with the United States are required to relocate and change the use of the air base. This site is currently one of five Korea-U.S. COBs in South Korea. Although no U.S. Air Force operational units are stationed there in peacetime, it serves as a key deployment base for U.S. air assets in the event of a contingency. The base is also known to house facilities and zones used by the U.S. military, as stipulated by the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the two countries.

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the National Report Meeting on the Three Major Mega Projects held at the Blue House on the 29th. Photo by the Blue House Press Corps. Yonhap News Agency

SOFA stipulates that the provision and return of facilities and zones used by U.S. forces are subject to mutual agreement between Korea and the United States. Article 2, Paragraph 1, specifies that detailed agreements regarding the use of these facilities and zones must be made through the Korea-U.S. SOFA Joint Committee. Returning facilities used by U.S. forces within the air base and preparing replacement facilities at a new relocation site require consultations between both countries regarding location, scale, operational function, and cost-sharing.

The U.S. Forces Korea have not released a specific statement as of yet, but it is understood that they prioritize maintaining readiness and accommodating military requirements. In a media interview, Major Laura Hayden, spokesperson for the U.S. 7th Air Force, commented on the potential relocation of Gwangju Air Base by saying, "The U.S. 7th Air Force has important military interests at Gwangju Air Base and will continue to maintain close coordination with the Republic of Korea Air Force to meet all requirements and preserve strong combined readiness.”

"U.S. Unlikely to Agree to Relocation Until Base Conditions Are Ready"

Some have pointed out that, to enter into negotiations with the U.S., the government must first specify where and how the operational and training functions currently housed at Gwangju will be replaced. There is essentially no justification for persuading the U.S. to relocate until the new site, timeline, and scale of replacement facilities are clearly determined.

Yang Wook, research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, explained, "This is a major military installation conducting core operations, so talking about building a cluster before anything is decided regarding base relocation is putting the cart before the horse. Until proper operating conditions are in place for U.S. forces, there is a high likelihood they will not withdraw from Gwangju Air Base." He continued, "If the base is relocated to Muan International Airport, military support facilities capable of replacing the current Gwangju installation's functions must also be established."

To develop a new air force base, it is essential not only to secure airstrip space but also to provide key infrastructure for operations—such as hardened aircraft shelters, maintenance facilities, ammunition and fuel storages, as well as command and control and communication facilities. Since the entire Air Force wing will be moved, it is also necessary to secure sufficient land for the unit to independently conduct its missions, in addition to the runway and support facilities.

Even if the current plan to relocate the air base to Muan Airport—currently under consideration—is confirmed, it will take considerable time to build the new base. Even after the new site is finally determined through referendums and other means, estimates suggest it will take at least six to seven years to build and relocate to the new air base.

To enable early utilization of the Gwangju Air Base site, an alternative has been proposed to allow for partial development of the existing site before the completion of the new base, which would require legal revisions. The relocation is being pursued using a "donation for compensation" formula, in which a new airport is constructed and transferred to the Ministry of National Defense before receiving ownership of the existing air base. To permit partial development in advance, changes to relevant regulations would be needed to allow "early transfer, then development," as well as adjustments to military facility protection and air safety zone designations, and lifting of development restrictions. The central government and the Gwangju-Jeonnam Special Integrated City are currently reviewing special provisions for a so-called "two-track strategy," where the semiconductor cluster development and air base relocation to Muan are carried out separately.

Administrative procedures for relocating the air base to Muan must also proceed rapidly. Related discussions took off in earnest after the 2013 enactment of the Special Act on Relocation and Support of Military Airports, but strong local opposition to relocating both the air base and the civilian airport has resulted in no clear progress for over a decade. Even recently, Muan County’s absence from working-level meetings led by the presidential office has resulted in repeated delays, meaning local acceptance remains an unresolved issue.

Example of Daegu Air Base: Precedent for Korea-U.S. Negotiation, Now Under Discussion in Gwangju

Gwangju is not the first case in which military base relocation has required Korea-U.S. negotiations. During efforts to relocate Daegu Air Base, another Korea-U.S. Combined Operating Base, a separate round of talks was also held to discuss the relocation conditions for U.S. military facilities and the creation of equivalent replacement facilities.

After the new Daegu-Gyeongbuk Integrated Airport site was finalized in 2020, the Daegu city government formed a "Special Subcommittee on Military Airport Relocation" under the SOFA system, working with the Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the U.S. Forces Korea. In 2022, the U.S. Department of State officially granted the Commander of the U.S. Forces Korea the authority to negotiate the relocation of U.S. facilities at Daegu Air Base. Since then, both sides have conducted negotiations to determine the principles, procedures, scale of replacement facilities, and cost-sharing for the U.S. military facility relocation. While the Daegu relocation project has been slow due to issues surrounding project costs and securing funding, it serves as a precedent for what negotiation procedures are necessary when relocating a domestic air base that hosts U.S. facilities.

As it is expected to take a long time to construct a new air base, the government is also considering distributing the roles of the current Gwangju base to other air force installations, separate from the move to Muan. If the training and operational functions of the 1st Fighter Wing can be relocated to other bases, the Gwangju site could be utilized before the completion of the new base in Muan.

Kim Yongbum, policy chief at the Blue House, said during a YTN Radio interview last month, "If we can disperse some activities currently handled at the air base to other Air Force sites, and we can quickly draw up a plan to do so in consultation with the Air Force, it means we could use this site without waiting for the new base to be completed in Muan."

The Ministry of National Defense has stated its intent to promptly begin related consultations with U.S. authorities. A ministry official said, "Our basic position is to ensure there are no hindrances to the fulfillment of operational missions and other conditions," adding, "We're only at the beginning of discussions." The protracted negotiations over relocating Gwangju Air Force Base have become the first crucial step for realizing these mega projects.

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