President inspects Gwangju military airfield site, future mobility industrial complex candidate

Also reviews renewable energy supply expansion at offshore wind farm

President Lee Jae Myung applauds with attendees after a government-business MOU signing ceremony at the Southwest Advanced Industry Development Vision national briefing held at the Gwangju Kim Dae-jung Convention Center on Tuesday. From left: Lee Jin-an, CEO of Amkor Technology Korea; Kwak Noh-jung, CEO of SK hynix; President Lee Jae Myung; Jeon Young-hyun, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics; and Koo Yun-cheol, deputy prime minister and minister of finance and economy. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung applauds with attendees after a government-business MOU signing ceremony at the Southwest Advanced Industry Development Vision national briefing held at the Gwangju Kim Dae-jung Convention Center on Tuesday. From left: Lee Jin-an, CEO of Amkor Technology Korea; Kwak Noh-jung, CEO of SK hynix; President Lee Jae Myung; Jeon Young-hyun, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics; and Koo Yun-cheol, deputy prime minister and minister of finance and economy. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung flew by helicopter Tuesday to inspect candidate sites for offshore wind farms and industrial complexes across the southwest region, including Gwangju, Haenam, Mokpo and Sinan.

Cheong Wa Dae Deputy Spokesperson An Gwi-ryeong said in a written briefing that the tour was a follow-up field visit to two national briefings — the "Three Mega-Projects for Korea's Great Leap Forward" held Monday and the "Southwest Advanced Industry Development Vision" held Tuesday — and was arranged so the president could directly assess the advanced industry and energy infrastructure of the southwest region.

Lee first inspected the Gwangju military airfield site, which is being considered for relocation to Muan in South Jeolla Province, receiving a briefing from Deputy Defense Minister Lee Du-hee.

Lee then visited a candidate site for a future mobility industrial complex in Gwangju. Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom briefed the president on plans to develop an industrial complex spanning roughly 3.3 million square meters, or about 1 million pyeong, and Lee reviewed site conditions including transportation infrastructure accessible within 20 minutes from Gwangju Songjeong Station and Gwangju Airport.

Lee also visited Solaseado in Haenam, a next-generation urban development combining advanced industry, solar energy and AI data centers.

An said Lee asked about the potential use of remaining industrial land within the zone after reviewing site conditions and the power supply infrastructure. Kim said more than roughly 990,000 square meters, or about 300,000 pyeong, of industrial land is available and that various development options, including attracting advanced industries, are possible.

Lee then inspected Mokpo New Port, the key hub for offshore wind turbine installation in the southwest region, receiving a briefing from Minister of Climate, Environment and Energy Kim Sung-hwan.

Kim said Mokpo New Port is "a forward base for offshore wind installation, equipped with the infrastructure to handle ultra-large offshore wind structures."

Lee reviewed the status of infrastructure construction for storing, assembling, transporting and installing offshore wind equipment. He also heard from Kim that once two additional berths included in the port master plan are completed by 2031 — adding 700 megawatts of capacity — the port will function as the country's largest offshore wind support port, capable of handling 1.3 gigawatts annually.

Lee next visited Sinan Anjwa Solar City, where a 288-megawatt solar power facility has been built on reclaimed land too saline for farming. The facility produces about 350,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per year, enough to power roughly 100,000 households annually.

Kim explained that power generation revenue is shared with residents through local gift certificates and a "sunshine child allowance," contributing to local economic revitalization and efforts to address population decline. An said Lee confirmed the operational status and outcomes of the community-participatory renewable energy project.

Lee concluded the tour by inspecting the operating South Jeolla offshore wind farm and the Yeonggwang Nagwol offshore wind farm — currently under construction as the country's largest — and reviewed the current state of domestic offshore wind power generation and the potential for expanding renewable energy supply.

An said the South Jeolla offshore wind farm operates at 96 megawatts with 10 wind turbines and was the first project selected under the competitive bidding system for wind power introduced in 2022.

At the site, Kim explained the principles behind offshore wind power generation and its operational status, and Lee asked about the advantages of offshore wind and how the electricity produced is transmitted.

Kim said offshore wind power "faces fewer location constraints than onshore wind, allowing for large-scale installation, and achieves higher generation efficiency by harnessing the strong winds at sea."

Regarding the Yeonggwang Nagwol offshore wind farm, Kim said it is "the country's largest offshore wind farm under development, with a capacity of 365 megawatts across 64 turbines, and construction is currently about 85 percent complete." Lee confirmed the construction progress and completion schedule. An added that once finished, it will operate as the largest offshore wind farm in the country.


moone@heraldcorp.com