1st Fighter Wing to be temporarily relocated amid chip cluster project push

Seoul, August 14 - The South Korean defense ministry announced on Friday that it will temporarily relocate the 1st Fighter Wing's functions in Gwangju to three different locations. This decision aims to expedite the construction of a new semiconductor cluster in Gwangju, as part of the government's recent three megaprojects initiative.

The Gwangju air base, currently home to the 1st Fighter Wing, has been designated as the site for the proposed chip cluster. The ministry plans to temporarily move three squadrons of the 1st Fighter Wing to Yecheon, Seosan, and Chungju air bases respectively, in order to minimize any disruption to their operational capabilities, according to officials.

The officials explained that the relocation is being considered due to the capacity of each base. The 1st Fighter Wing oversees three flight training squadrons - two responsible for operating T-50 training aircraft to train fighter pilots and one tasked with protecting the southwestern airspace of the Korean Peninsula with TA-50 Block 2 trainer jets.

It is reported that the ministry is considering consolidating the two T-50 squadrons at the Yecheon air base while transferring the TA-50 trainer jets to Seosan. The ministry aims to transfer the functions in a manner that does not disrupt training, and is also reviewing options to ensure the airspace and flight training assets remain unaffected.

President Lee Jae Myung ordered the defense ministry to relocate the Gwangju military airport operations to a new site by mid-2028 on Monday. The military plans to commence preparations for the temporary relocation this year and begin the construction of the air bases to accommodate the additional Air Force units starting next year.