President Lee Jae-myung on the 29th called mid-2028, the target date for completing the temporary relocation of the Gwangju military airbase, "too slow" and ordered officials to review the timeline and move it up as much as possible.
Lee issued the instruction after receiving a briefing from the Ministry of National Defense on the temporary deployment plan for the Gwangju airbase during the third public-private review meeting on megaprojects, which he chaired at the Blue House, Presidential Senior Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said. The session was the third monthly megaproject review meeting Lee has chaired in person, and the first held since the establishment of the Office of the National Strategic Investment Advisor, a dedicated unit within the presidential office.
"Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures," Lee said, calling for a review of options including revising laws or amending regulations and guidelines if necessary.
Lee also addressed staffing difficulties companies face on the ground. He asked Kim Yong-kwan, president of Samsung Electronics, who attended the meeting, what measures were actually needed to improve living conditions for corporate staff. Kim raised the difficulties companies encounter in hiring foreign workers. Lee ordered a review of expanding the list of schools eligible under the K-Tech Pass, a program that supports the employment and settlement of skilled overseas talent in South Korea.
On plans to build a domed stadium and an arena, proposed as measures to improve living conditions, Lee said, "Demand surveys will likely be important," urging officials to examine the project plans in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. The point was that rather than building large cultural facilities uniformly, authorities should weigh regional demand and potential use to maximize the impact.
"The future of South Korea depends on whether these megaprojects succeed," Lee added. "With the dedicated unit at the center, I ask that ministries work as one team and push the projects forward with speed."
