Hyundai Motor Group GBC Groundbreaking... Will There Be No Impact on Military Operations?

Aerial view of Hyundai Motor Company's new headquarters Global Business Center (GBC) /

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] Although the groundbreaking of Hyundai Motor Group's Global Business Center (GBC) has been initiated in earnest, concerns about its impact on military operations have not been resolved. There is a fear that the controversy similar to the 'Second Lotte World Tower' could be repeated.

According to the military on the 8th, the Ministry of National Defense, Seoul City, and Hyundai Motor Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the 23rd of last month. According to the MOU, Hyundai Motor Group will bear the costs for additional radar deployment and the establishment of detour flight paths for helicopters and other aircraft caused by the construction of the GBC.

If the GBC is built on the former KEPCO site, blind spots will occur in the Air Force Patriot radars at the Umyeon and Geomdan bases, which are responsible for detecting North Korean ballistic missiles. Hyundai Motor Group has agreed to purchase additional radars to prevent the occurrence of these blind spots. Another issue is the obstruction of aircraft flight paths. The GBC, scheduled for completion in the second half of 2026, will be a 105-story building (569 meters tall). Like the Lotte World Tower, the GBC could interfere with the flight paths of aircraft involved in military operations. Therefore, detour routes for helicopters used by civilians, government, and military must be established.

If additional Patriot radars are deployed, opposition from residents near Umyeonsan Mountain is also expected. During the deployment of the THAAD system in Seongju, Gyeongbuk in 2017, the harmfulness of electromagnetic waves became a contentious issue. At that time, the Ministry of National Defense stated, "The electromagnetic waves from the radar within the THAAD base in Seongju, Gyeongbuk, were found to be far below the permissible exposure limits for humans," but residents opposed the government's measurement results.

Even if detour flight paths are arranged, pilots' anxiety is bound to increase. According to the audit results of the "Lotte World Tower New Construction Administrative Coordination and Promotion Status" disclosed by the Board of Audit and Inspection in 2018, more than half of the pilots using the Seoul Air Force Base felt uneasy because of the Lotte World Tower. Among 100 Air Force pilots surveyed at the time, 13 selected a score of 3 or higher on the psychological anxiety scale, which is above the average score of 2.5.

A military official said, "The Ministry of National Defense is preparing various measures to resolve the radar blind spot issue and to change helicopter routes that rely on visual flight," adding, "Decisions will be made through discussions between the military and related government departments in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.