Gwangju is set to establish a basic plan for the relocation of the Gwangju Military Airport to Muan.
To this end, the city plans to commission an external agency in November.
On September 2, Gwangju officials held an executive meeting at the Gwangju City Hall to share the schedule for the military airport relocation project.
Following the selection of the Muan area in Mangun-myeon as a candidate site for the relocation by the Ministry of National Defense's site selection committee on August 28, the city aims to expedite subsequent procedures by advancing three projects: the basic plan, strategic environmental impact assessment, and construction project management.
The basic plan project will detail the layout and scale of military facilities at the new airport and prepare various documents necessary for future project approvals.
Simultaneously, the strategic environmental impact assessment and construction project management will ensure the appropriateness of the basic plan and systematically manage the overall project timeline and budget.
The total project cost for the three contracts is estimated at 26 billion won. The city has secured an initial 3 billion won through a supplementary budget, with plans to include the remaining funds in the 2027 main budget based on the progress of the projects.
The city has completed contract reviews and plans to announce bids this month, with work on the three projects expected to begin in November.
Additionally, the city will develop a support plan for surrounding areas and conduct public hearings and resident votes for Muan residents.
Based on the results of the resident vote and Muan's application for hosting, the final site for the military airport relocation is expected to be selected by the end of this year.
During the meeting, plans for a wastewater reuse project to supply water to the semiconductor cluster in the Honam region were also reported.
The city is developing a water reuse management plan to supply 300,000 tons of reused wastewater daily to the semiconductor industrial complex, with a total project scale of 720 billion won.
Funding for the buffer storage facilities and supply infrastructure for the reused wastewater has been included in the 2027 government budget proposal.
The city has been in discussions with the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, prospective companies, and the Korea Environment Corporation, and plans to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for water supply this month, with related projects to be completed by November.
Mayor Min Hyung-bae emphasized, "Even if each department pursues the infrastructure development for water and power for the semiconductor cluster individually, I ask that you collaborate closely with the semiconductor support organization to work as one team."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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