Facilities for a domestically produced trainer aircraft, with 40 billion won already invested, also to be relocated as Gwangju Air Base moves

[Financial News] Infrastructure under construction is becoming useless after Gwangju Air Base was selected as the site for the Lee Jae-myung administration’s Honam semiconductor cluster.
The facilities for the domestically produced TA-50 Block 2 tactical trainer, originally scheduled for completion this month, are a prime example. Although approximately 40 billion won has already been invested, the facilities may have to be newly built in another region without being properly put into operation.
According to documents submitted by Koo Ja-geun, a People Power Party lawmaker on the National Assembly’s Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has been pursuing construction of facilities to operate the TA-50 Block 2 since 2019. The facilities received a temporary completion approval in July and are currently in use, with final completion scheduled for this month.
However, Gwangju Air Base is being relocated to create the Honam semiconductor cluster. The government plans to temporarily station the unit at another air base by mid-2028. Reports indicate that a plan is being considered to build new TA-50 Block 2 facilities at Seosan Base in South Chungcheong Province within two years.
The total project cost for the facilities is 46.934 billion won, of which 39.874 billion won had been spent as of August 18. After most of the budget was poured into the project over several years, the facilities are now just before final completion, yet procedures have begun to relocate them to another air base. The Ministry of National Defense is considering temporarily stationing the 206th Fighter Squadron, which operates the TA-50 Block 2, at Seosin Base in South Chungcheong Province.
Industry sources said the facilities issue would not affect Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) or Hanwha Aerospace because the TA-50 Block 2 has already been delivered to the Air Force. Some observers also believe the relocation could be more favorable than Gwangju for Hanwha Aerospace, which is responsible for maintenance and repairs, in terms of parts supply.
Koo said, "The rush to create the semiconductor cluster must not lead to wasted budget, disruptions in military operations during the redeployment of forces, or a weakening of national defense."

[email protected] Kim Yun-ho Reporter