This photo, taken Monday, shows a training aircraft flying near a military airport in Gwangju. The South Korean government announced the airport as the future site for a semiconductor production cluster. Photo by Yonhap
A military airport in the southwestern city of Gwangju was selected Monday as the site for a government-led project to create a semiconductor production cluster, a presidential official said.
The selection was made in a meeting earlier in the day between government officials and top executives of leading chipmakers — Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc. — to discuss follow-up measures for the investment project, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said at a press briefing.
The president will hold monthly meetings to personally check the progress in the massive investment project, he added.
The envisioned chip production cluster is part of the government’s “three megaprojects” initiative, centered on large-scale investments in semiconductors, physical artificial intelligence (AI) and AI data centers in regional areas.
Under the chip cluster project, the two leading chipmakers have pledged to invest a combined 800 trillion won (US$522 billion), marking the single-largest investment plan to date in the southwestern Gwangju and Honam area.
“Through consultations with related ministries, the government will promptly finalize the (administrative) process of designating the candidate site,” Kang said.
The presidential official noted that companies proposed the military site for the production complex, describing it as an 8.3 million-square-meter track of already leveled land that would save time for preparation.
Its proximity to the city’s downtown and railway station would also facilitate easy access for workers and the transportation of goods, the official said.
Kang noted that the president has decided to hold monthly meetings to review the progress of the projects and establish a dedicated body within Cheong Wa Dae to oversee them.
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