A trainer aircraft of the Air Force's 1st Fighter Wing prepares for takeoff at Gwangju Air Base. [Yonhap]
A trainer aircraft of the Air Force's 1st Fighter Wing prepares for takeoff at Gwangju Air Base. [Yonhap]

The military has decided to temporarily disperse the functions of the Air Force's 1st Fighter Wing across bases in Yecheon, Seosan and Jungwon, following the designation of the Gwangju Air Base site for the Honam semiconductor cluster. President Lee Jae Myung's order on Monday — directing that Gwangju Air Base's functions be temporarily relocated to other air bases by mid-2028 — effectively made official both the direction and timeline for dispersing the 1st Fighter Wing ahead of its permanent move to Muan.

The final candidate site for the Muan relocation is to be determined at a site-selection committee meeting this month and confirmed by year's end. The dispersed deployment arrangement is expected to last about four years until the Muan facility is completed.

A Ministry of National Defense official told reporters Friday that the military plans to use the Yecheon, Seosan and Jungwon bases for the temporary deployment, taking into account the need to minimize impact on operational readiness and each base's capacity.

The 1st Fighter Wing — known as the cradle of combat pilots — comprises three squadrons, including the 189th and 216th Flight Training Squadrons and the 206th Fighter Squadron.

The two flight training squadrons operate T-50 advanced trainer jets and are responsible for producing combat pilots. The 206th Fighter Squadron operates the domestically developed TA-50 Block 2 light attack aircraft and carries out air defense missions over the southwestern region.

Under the plan, the existing 1st Fighter Wing assets are to be temporarily stationed at Yecheon Air Base (home of the 16th Fighter Wing) and Seosan Air Base (20th Fighter Wing), with some functions from Yecheon to be shifted to Jungwon Air Base in Chungju (19th Fighter Wing).

The two flight training squadrons operating T-50 advanced trainers are expected to be consolidated at Yecheon, while the TA-50 assets will move to Seosan.

A military official said the relocation would be carried out to ensure training is not disrupted, adding that airspace issues are also under review and that simulators and other flight training equipment will be put in place to avoid any impact on training.

On the potential gap in pilot training, the official acknowledged there would be "some impact" but said the military plans to minimize it through supplementary flight training. Regarding personnel relocation, the official said the Defense Ministry is in discussions on measures to minimize inconvenience for families, including housing and children's education.

Muan-gun had already been selected as a preliminary candidate site for the Gwangju Air Base relocation, but the government's decision to develop a Honam semiconductor cluster there has forced the military to vacate the site sooner than originally planned.

The military intends to begin preparatory work, including design, this year and to start actual construction next year.

A Defense Ministry official said the necessary administrative procedures and other preliminary steps would need to be carried out as quickly as possible.

Gwangju Air Base is one of five collocated operating bases jointly used by South Korean and US forces, where American air assets would be deployed in a contingency. Relocating the base will therefore require consultations with the United States.

Under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), approximately 1.72 million square meters of the site — including areas for exclusive US use and joint use — have been provided to American forces.

A Defense Ministry official said the US side is "fully aware and engaged in substantive dialogue," but added that details could not be disclosed for security reasons.

On the budget for the temporary deployment, the official said a rough internal estimate exists but that the final figure will be confirmed after consultations with the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

On concerns about a defense gap in the southwestern region, a Joint Chiefs of Staff official said the military would minimize any impact by coordinating alert postures with other fighter wings.


rimsclub@heraldcorp.com