Government Picks Former Military Airport in Gwangju for New Semiconductor Cluster

A military airport in the southwestern city of Gwangju was selected Monday as the site for a government-led semiconductor production cluster, Yonhap reported. The decision came during a meeting between government officials and executives from Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc.

To discuss follow-up measures for the investment. The two chipmakers pledged a combined 800 trillion won (US$522 billion) for the project, the largest investment plan to date in the Gwangju and Honam area. The cluster forms part of the government's three megaprojects initiative focused on semiconductors, physical artificial intelligence and AI data centers.

President Lee will hold monthly meetings to review progress on the investments, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said at a press briefing. A dedicated body will be established within Cheong Wa Dae to oversee the megaprojects. The selected site covers 8.3 million square meters of already leveled land and was proposed by the companies.

Its location near Gwangju's downtown and railway station would ease worker access and goods transport, Kang said. Through consultations with related ministries, the government will promptly finalize the administrative process of designating the candidate site, Kang added. A photo released by Yonhap showed a helicopter flying over the airport on June 30.