Jeonnam Province "Will Join Forces with Gwangju City to Relocate Private Airport to Muan"

Agreement on Relocation Aligned with Honam High-Speed Rail Phase 2 Opening

Expressing Gratitude to Gwangju Mayor Kang Ki-jung for His Magnanimous Decision

Joint Efforts to Persuade Muan County Regarding Military Airport Relocation

Jeonnam Province expressed gratitude for the decisive decision of Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-jung, who agreed to relocate Gwangju's civilian airport to Muan International Airport in line with the second phase opening of the Honam High-Speed Railway.

The province plans to work jointly with Gwangju City on follow-up measures, including persuading Muan County.

According to Jeonnam Province on the 18th, at the ‘Gwangju Civilian and Military Airport Relocation Mayors and Governors Meeting’ held the previous day at the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-jung and Jeonnam Governor Kim Young-rok agreed on relocating Gwangju’s civilian and military airports to Muan and pledged to work together for the long-term development of both regions.

This is significant as it marks the conclusion of discussions following the joint announcement by the two mayors and governors in May, where they agreed to separately discuss the civilian airport issue.

Furthermore, both the city and province agreed to work together to gain the consensus of Muan County residents on the integrated relocation of Gwangju’s civilian and military airports to Muan International Airport, thereby putting an end to the controversy over separate relocations of the civilian and military airports.

In particular, by showing a strong willingness to actively pursue the integrated relocation to Muan County, a new turning point has been established for resolving the Gwangju military airport relocation issue.

Additionally, Gwangju City has enacted the ‘Military Airport Hosting Area Support Ordinance,’ which includes the advance establishment of funds for support projects in areas surrounding the military airport relocation, and Jeonnam Province has decided to promote the ‘Muan Future Regional Development Vision’ announced on the 14th.

Moreover, both the city and province have agreed to jointly work on revitalizing Muan International Airport through financial support for airlines and providing convenience for city and provincial residents, which is expected to significantly improve the acceptance of the military airport relocation among Muan residents and aid in persuading Muan County.

Jeonnam Province, having agreed with Gwangju City on the relocation of Gwangju’s civilian and military airports to Muan and decided to respond jointly, views leading Muan County’s participation as paramount. Therefore, it will continue to urge Muan County to participate in public forums such as three-party and two-party talks, while preparing detailed implementation plans for the announcement to steadily prepare for the integrated relocation.

Both the city and province also recognize that noise damage countermeasures are the most important issue regarding the military airport relocation. Accordingly, they plan to hold forums with the Ministry of National Defense, local era committees of both city and province, research institutes, and others, as well as joint meetings including Muan County and neighboring cities and counties to revitalize Muan International Airport.

Governor Kim Young-rok said, “The agreement to relocate Gwangju’s civilian airport to Muan International Airport in line with the 2025 opening of the Honam High-Speed Railway is a meaningful advancement, and I am grateful for Mayor Kang Gi-jung’s bold decision.” He added, “Since Mayor Kang also agreed to focus all efforts on Muan County, the city and province will unite their efforts to persuade Muan County.”