Suncheon mayor pushes for faster development of Haeryong 2-2 industrial complex to attract defense firms

Mayor visits Gwangyang Bay Free Economic Zone Authority to secure industrial land

Suncheon Mayor Son Hun-mo, who pledged to attract defense industry firms when he ran for the National Assembly, visited the Gwangyang Bay Free Economic Zone Authority on Wednesday to assess whether industrial land can be supplied in time to fulfill that campaign pledge.

Son met with authority chief Gu Chung-gon and called for the early development of the Haeryong 2-2 general industrial complex, which has remained stalled at the land compensation stage since being designated an industrial complex in 2023.

The Haeryong 2-1 complex — 190,000 pyeong (627,000 square meters) — has been fully pre-sold, but the 183,000-pyeong (604,000-square-meter) 2-2 complex remains at the land compensation negotiation stage. Suncheon has been fielding a flood of inquiries from companies looking to move in, but industrial land supply has not kept pace.

Son made the authority his first stop after taking office because he believes building a defense industry cluster — his signature campaign pledge — is essential to overcoming the crisis facing the Yeosu petrochemical and steel industries and laying the groundwork for a new growth engine centered on emerging industries.

Securing industrial land is a prerequisite for attracting major defense companies and their suppliers, but pre-sales across all of Suncheon's industrial complexes have already reached 98 percent, making additional land acquisition urgent.

Landowners within the project area have also been unable to exercise their property rights for years due to restrictions on land transactions, and many have filed complaints demanding prompt compensation.

At Wednesday's meeting, Son and Gu exchanged views on development methods and pre-sale promotion strategies to enable an early ground-breaking at the Haeryong 2-2 complex, and pledged to cooperate closely for the future development of the Gwangyang Bay area.

"Securing industrial land must come first if we are to attract anchor companies and transform the industrial ecosystem," Son said. "We will work closely with the free economic zone authority to lay the foundation for attracting businesses through the early development of the Haeryong 2-2 general industrial complex, while also resolving long-standing concerns of local residents."

Gu said the authority would "actively cooperate and provide support so that related issues, including the development of the Haeryong 2-2 general industrial complex, can proceed smoothly."