Defense minister calls for completing Gwangju air base relocation while maintaining air defense readiness

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul visited the Air Force 1st Fighter Wing in Gwangju on Wednesday, urging the unit to complete its military airport relocation mission in support of national strategic industry policy while maintaining a firm air defense posture.

Kang inspected the wing's operational readiness and toured the Gwangju military airport site and facilities to review the status of the relocation and temporary deployment arrangements.

The 1st Fighter Wing's current site is slated for use as part of a mega-project complex.

The area surrounding the Gwangju military airport, where the wing is stationed, has been designated as the site for a Honam-region semiconductor cluster, where Samsung Electronics and SK hynix plan to build a combined four memory chip fabrication plants.

To accelerate development of the industrial complex, the government is pursuing a plan to temporarily disperse the Gwangju base's functions to existing Air Force installations — including those in Yecheon, Seosan and Jungwon — before a new military airport in Muan is completed.

Kang told personnel that "the Defense Ministry and the military must move as one to complete the temporary deployment and airport relocation missions, so that we can maintain a firm air defense posture while supporting national strategic industry policy."

Earlier, during a briefing on the unit's status, he said, "When accumulated strength comes together, our military can win in competition — and only when the military wins can the Republic of Korea win." He urged the wing to do its utmost in training elite combat pilots and carrying out its air defense mission over the western and southern regions.

Kang joined service members for lunch and encouraged those dedicated to air defense and pilot training duties.

"I am proud of you for staying focused on your core missions — defending our airspace and developing the finest pilots and warriors — even under difficult conditions," he said, calling on them to build an Air Force that "always wins," grounded in firm military discipline and a culture of mutual respect within the warrior community.