Minister visits Gwangju military airfield site Monday
Briefed on land, power and water supply plans
Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan visited the Gwangju military airfield site Monday to assess conditions for developing a semiconductor cluster in the country's southwest and review supply plans for key infrastructure, including land, power and water, the South Jeolla-Gwangju Integrated Special City said.
The visit came just three days after SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won toured the same site Friday and pledged to break ground on a semiconductor factory as early as possible and push ahead with construction swiftly. Officials expect the back-to-back visits to accelerate progress on the southwest semiconductor cluster project.
Attending Monday's site visit alongside Kim were Son Gyeong-jong, vice chairman of the South Jeolla-Gwangju Semiconductor Strategy Committee, Jeon Eun-ok, the integrated special city's semiconductor industry support policy director, and representatives from the Air Force, Korea Land and Housing Corporation, Korea Electric Power Corporation and Korea Water Resources Corporation.
Kim received a briefing at the air traffic control tower on the current status of the military airfield site, followed by presentations from Korea Land and Housing Corporation on its industrial complex supply plan and from Korea Electric Power Corporation and Korea Water Resources Corporation on their respective power and water supply plans.
Kim then held discussions with the relevant agencies on key pending issues before visiting the planned ammunition depot relocation site in person to assess on-the-ground conditions and the feasibility of making the land available ahead of schedule.
The Gwangju military airfield site offers a large, flat expanse of land with strong access to regional transport networks, including Gwangju Songjeong Station. The planned ammunition depot relocation site in particular is being considered a priority candidate for early corporate use, with phased land supply options under discussion.
"Please make every effort to ensure that site preparation and power and water supply infrastructure are secured without delay, and that local community acceptance is strengthened, so that corporate investment can proceed on schedule," Kim said. He added that the government plans to develop concrete support measures — covering semiconductor materials, parts and equipment, research and development, and talent cultivation — to ensure that large-scale corporate investment in the southwest translates into a broader industrial ecosystem for the region.
"Following SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won's visit, Minister Kim has now come to the site in person, and we expect the southwest semiconductor cluster project to gain even greater momentum," said Jeon, the semiconductor industry support policy director. "We will work closely with the government and relevant agencies to ensure that the land companies need is supplied in line with their investment schedules, and that infrastructure such as power and water is put in place without a hitch."
sij@heraldcorp.com
