Cho Hyun confident U.S. Air Force base will be returned before Honam semiconductor plant groundbreaking; South Korea-U.S. agreement to be reached within 1 year and 8 months

[Financial News] The relocation of the U.S. military base at Gwangju Military Airport is expected to be completed before mid-2028, when full-scale construction of the Honam semiconductor plant is set to begin. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said at the Foreign Ministry’s parliamentary audit at the National Assembly on the 6th that South Korea and the United States were discussing the relocation of U.S. military units at Gwangju Airport under the South Korea-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).
Cho replied that it was “possible” when asked by Ko Dong-jin, a People Power Party lawmaker and former Samsung Electronics president: “There are one year and eight months left until construction begins on the Honam semiconductor plant. Will U.S. forces have completely left Gwangju Military Airport by then?”
Relocating U.S. military bases has so far taken at least 10 years. As a result, many were concerned that relocating the U.S. base at Gwangju Military Airport would be difficult before mid-2028, when construction on the Honam semiconductor plant is set to begin. Cho has dismissed those concerns.
The Gwangju military airport is to be temporarily relocated to another area by mid-2028, and construction of the Honam semiconductor fab will begin as soon as the site is handed over. However, ground preparation at the nearby vacant ammunition depot site will begin earlier, in 2027.
Under a plan for Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to build one plant each, the first phase of construction is to be completed by 2029. Following trial operations, full-scale mass production is set to begin in late June 2030.
Cho also had a tense exchange with independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon during the audit that day. The two clashed while comparing the South Korean government’s responses to a landmine incident involving North Korean troops and the Ukrainian government’s breach of confidentiality over the repatriation of two North Korean soldiers.
Han asked that day, “You don’t say a peep about North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong making announcements, but you go after Ukraine like you’re hunting rats. Which is the main enemy, North Korea or Ukraine?”
The dispute began when Cho retorted, “I will refuse to answer as long as you use the phrase ‘hunting rats.’” Cho also pushed back directly, telling Han, “Please don’t interrupt me while I’m answering,” and, “Please don’t twist my words like that.” Han criticized Cho’s manner of speaking in response. He also told Cho, “The public is watching. Please don’t get angry.”
As the clash with Han continued, Cho asked committee chair Song Seok-jun (People Power Party) to ensure the proceedings ran smoothly.
During the audit that day, lawmakers continued to ask whether media reports were true that Foreign Minister Chung Dong-young and Cho had recently clashed at the National Security Council (NSC) over unilateral sanctions against North Korea in response to the landmine incident. Cho denied the reports, saying, “There may be differences of opinion, but it was not a clash.”

[email protected] Kim Kyung-soo, Song Ji-won Reporter