President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a joint public and private sector review of plans for three “megaprojects” held at the Blue House on Aug. 10, 2026. (pool photo)
President Lee Jae Myung on Monday called for operations at the air base in Gwangju to be temporarily relocated by mid-2028 so that construction of a semiconductor cluster at the site can start as soon as possible.The Blue House also signaled its intent to pass special legislation for the projects and streamline procedures for permits and environmental impact assessments before the end of the year. “Our situation calls for going beyond racing against time; we need to wage a blitzkrieg,” Lee said at a joint public and private sector review of his administration’s three megaprojects held at the Blue House that day. “I ask that you do your best to make sure that construction of the industrial complex can begin ahead of schedule at the site near the air base even before its temporary relocation.”In an earlier meeting on July 6, Lee designated the air base as the site for the planned semiconductor industrial complex, saying, “We need a comprehensive review to ensure that corporate willingness to invest is neither dampened nor procedures delayed due to bureaucratic silos, regulations or lack of infrastructure.”The Blue House chief of staff, Kang Hoon-sik, told reporters after the meeting that while only 8.26 square kilometers of the Gwangju Air Base had been designated as a candidate site for the chip cluster, the administration planned to gauge corporate demand to quickly designate additional candidate sites in the vicinity. Kang added that construction or facility expansion for the megaprojects is set to begin this year, with projects worth 246 trillion won involving six companies in the Chungcheong provinces and another 107 trillion won in investments spanning eight companies in the southeastern Yeongnam region. The meeting also discussed plans for water supply using recycled wastewater and nearby dams, as well as ensuring uninterrupted power supply.Addressing recent reports suggesting a difference of opinions among government ministries over a proposed provision creating exceptions to the 52-hour workweek limit for the megaprojects, a high-ranking source at the presidential office said that the administration was “taking time to consider” the matter. “This can only be addressed by creating a space for dialogue with the local community and organized labor, and by securing the consent of residents,” the official said. By Seo Young-ji, staff reporter; Shim Woo-sam, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
