Gwangju: The defense ministry announced on Monday that it has yet to finalize the detailed relocation plan for the military airport situated in Gwangju, a southwestern city, after the site was chosen as the location for a new semiconductor production cluster.

According to Yonhap News Agency, earlier on Monday, the government selected the Gwangju military airport, located approximately 270 kilometers south of Seoul, as the designated site for a planned semiconductor manufacturing cluster. This decision is part of the government's "three mega projects" initiative aimed at bolstering the country's technological infrastructure.

A defense ministry official stated, "We will closely cooperate with the Air Force to ensure there is no gap in the military's readiness posture while aligning with the government's policy." The military airport currently hosts an Air Force base that provides advanced flight training for Air Force pilot trainees.

The preliminary candidate site for relocating the Gwangju military airport is the southwestern county of Muan. However, Muan officials have requested a review of the relocation process, emphasizing that three key conditions, including unprecedented national-level incentives, must be fulfilled before proceeding.

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