Story thread · 8 reports / 6 sources

Gwangju air base transfer deadline weakens Korea's hand with US

koreatimes.co.kr · 12hShare

South Korea's plan to convert Gwangju Air Base into a semiconductor cluster by mid-2028 is drawing criticism from defense experts who say President Lee Jae Myung's unilateral announcement of a hard deadline may have undermined Seoul's negotiating position with Washington before talks have even concluded. During a checkup meeting on progress of the so-called megaproject — a large-scale new chip hub planned for southwestern Korea — Lee said Monday that Gwangju Air Base would be relocated by mid-2028 to make way for the new industrial complex. The Ministry of National Defense followed Tuesday with a statement saying it would cooperate with the plan while minimizing any impact on national security and defense readiness. "The ministry will actively review and advance a plan to temporarily relocate Gwangju Air Base's operations to another military airfield by mid-2028," it said, adding that it would coordinate with the U.S. side for the return of land currently granted to American forces. Th

First report: South Korea's Lee wants military airbase relocated by mid-2028 for chip cluster — reuters.com, 1d