Jeonnam-Gwangju Breaks 40-Year Divide: Emerging as the Southern Region’s Central Hub with 800 Trillion Won Semiconductor Cluster

Utilization of Gwangju Air Force Base Site Gains Momentum

Efforts Underway for National Medical School and Regional Transportation Network

Three Major Government Complexes to Define Distinct Roles

Push to Establish 100 Billion Won Balanced Development Fund

Three months have passed since Gwangju and Jeonnam, which were separated for over 40 years, were launched as a single metropolitan autonomous government. The Jeonnam-Gwangju Unified Metropolitan City is now accelerating its efforts to promote major regional issues, including the establishment of a semiconductor cluster in the Honam region.

The unified metropolitan city, launched on July 1, has been focused on building a super-regional economic bloc by integrating the industrial and administrative capabilities of Gwangju and Jeonnam, while also prioritizing policy and social integration, as well as achieving balanced regional development.

Night view of Gwangju Government Complex in Gwangju Metropolitan City, Jeonnam Province, and Muan Government Complex

Since their separation in 1986, Gwangju and Jeonnam have repeatedly discussed possible integration and explored various cooperative measures, such as forming wide-area alliances. However, the limitations of split administrative boundaries have led to overlapping investment and inter-regional competition.

Population decline was also a key factor that sped up integration discussions. Of the 22 cities and counties in Jeonnam, 16 are classified as regions experiencing population decline, and Gwangju has faced depopulation issues as the youth population continues to fall, causing the city's population to drop below 1.4 million, making the risk of regional extinction a reality.

Support measures from the government have added momentum to integration. The government promised four major incentives: up to 5 trillion won annually in fiscal support for four years (up to a total of 20 trillion won), a status equivalent to Seoul Special City, priority in the relocation of public institutions, and industrial revitalization policies.

The most remarkable change since the launch is the successful bid to host a semiconductor cluster in the Honam region, with a total project value of 800 trillion won.

In July, the site of the Gwangju Air Force Base was selected as the final location for the semiconductor cluster, setting the foundation for linking the relocation of the military airport with development of the vacated site. The plan aims to connect Jeonnam’s resources in renewable energy and water, Gwangju’s base in advanced industries, and local university research and talent infrastructure, including the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology and the Korea Institute of Energy Technology.

The unified metropolitan city plans to spread the impact of the semiconductor industry not only to Gwangju, but also to the eastern and western regions of Jeonnam. Specialized industrial complexes for materials, components, and equipment, along with related industries, will be linked with regional industrial bases to expand the semiconductor industry ecosystem throughout the new metropolitan area.

Other long-standing issues, such as the establishment of a national medical school and the relocation of the Gwangju Air Force Base, have also become key agenda items since the integration. Efforts are underway to exempt the water supply project required for the semiconductor cluster from a preliminary feasibility evaluation, as well as to advance government and regional projects, including the "OLTA" metropolitan express bus and an AI data center.

With the completion of organizational restructuring, major administrative reforms have also begun. The unified metropolitan city is clarifying the functions of the Gwangju Government Complex, the Namaak Government Complex, and the Eastern Government Complex, and aims to improve execution of key projects based on an administrative system that serves a population of 3.16 million and operates with a total budget of 40 trillion won.

The remaining challenge after integration is to go beyond simply combining administrative districts and to effectively unify policies and daily living spheres.

Since the end of March, the Administrative Integration Promotion Task Force has held daily "integration status check meetings" every morning to review the integration process and follow-ups. Since the launch, Mayor Min Hyungbae has personally chaired these meetings, overseeing the progress of four key areas—administrative integration, policy integration, social integration, and cooperation with the central government—which comprise nine main tasks and 20 sub-tasks.

In particular, the city is focusing on developing policy integration measures centered on daily life services, so citizens will directly experience the effects of integration. A consultative committee is also being organized to discuss strategies for mutual prosperity between the former Jeonnam and Gwangju regions, as well as to identify additional special provisions for revision of the special law for Jeonnam-Gwangju Metropolitan City.

Balanced regional development remains another key concern for the unified metropolitan city.

The city plans to create a balanced development fund totaling 100 billion won to support the expansion of fundamental infrastructure in relatively underdeveloped areas. Each government complex—Gwangju, Muan, and the Eastern Complex—will have specialized functions and operate in a decentralized manner, and a wide-area transportation network will connect the entire metropolitan area. These measures are intended to prevent key administrative, industrial, and living infrastructure from concentrating in just one region.

In industrial development, the emphasis is on combining Jeonnam’s strengths in production and energy with Gwangju’s capabilities in research and application. The goal is to foster industries such as AI, semiconductors, future mobility, and green energy, by linking an annual Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) of roughly 159 trillion won to the government’s "Five Poles, Three Specializations" strategy.

Min Hyungbae, Mayor of Jeonnam-Gwangju Metropolitan City, said, "Thanks to the trust and support of citizens who believe in our efforts to achieve overwhelming growth and a prosperous society for all, as well as the dedication of the integration promotion task force and all staff before and after integration, the unified metropolitan city is now on solid footing. Moving forward, we will leverage the strength of unified governance to become a clear central axis of the southern region that rivals the Seoul metropolitan area."

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