▲ This photo shows the Gwangju military airport in the city, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul, after the site was designated as a semiconductor production cluster, on July 7, 2026. (Yonhap)

US military-chip cluster project

U.S. military in S. Korea cites 'important' military interests in Gwangju airport amid relocation plan

SEOUL, July 10 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. military stationed in South Korea on Friday said it has "important" military interests in the military airport in the southwestern city of Gwangju that is set to be relocated to make room for a planned semiconductor production cluster under Seoul's recently unveiled mega investment projects.

The potential objection comes after the Gwangju military airport was handpicked as the site for the chip manufacturing cluster under the government's "three megaprojects."

"Seventh Air Force does have important military interests at Gwangju Air Base, and we will continue our close coordination with the ROKAF to ensure all requirements are met and our strong combined readiness posture is maintained," Maj. Laura Hayden, spokesperson of the Seventh Air Force said, when asked about the United States' position on the relocation plan, referring to the South Korean Air Force by its official name, the Republic of Korea Air Force.

Under the chip cluster project, South Korea's leading chipmakers Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc. plan to invest a combined 800 trillion won (US$522 billion) in the southwestern Honam area, including Gwangju.

The government has designated the nearby county of Muan as the preliminary candidate site to accommodate the military airport currently in Gwangju.

Military officials have said the relocation process may require consultations with the U.S. side, as the airport is one of five collocated operating bases (COBs) jointly used by the allies.

While no U.S. forces are permanently stationed at the airport in peacetime, U.S. air assets can be deployed there in the event of a contingency.

Some areas within the airport are also reserved for use by the U.S. military under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which governs the legal status of U.S. forces stationed in South Korea, according to the officials.

Asked about the progress of talks with the U.S. military regarding the relocation plan, a defense ministry official said the details of the plan have not yet been decided.

"Nothing specific has been worked out yet," the official told a press briefing Friday. "We will make efforts to ensure there is no gap in the military's readiness posture, while closely coordinating with the Air Force and the U.S. side to correspond to plans for national policy."

The U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said it does not comment on the host nation's pre-decisional policy matters, adding it remains committed to "maintaining a ready and capable force on the Korean Peninsula and a strong combined defense posture with our ROK ally."

Meanwhile, some have raised the need to preemptively disperse the functions of the South Korean Air Force's 1st Fighter Wing, stationed at the military airport in Gwangju, as part of efforts to expedite the relocation of the airport to the county of Muan, which could take years to complete.

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