Changwon City Holds 'Seminar on Introducing Korean-Style Aircraft Carriers and Promoting Ship MRO Defense Industry Cluster'

Changwon City held a "Special Seminar on the Introduction of Korean-style Aircraft Carriers and the Promotion of Warship MRO Defense Industry Cluster" together with the Changwon Industry Promotion Agency and the MRO Convergence Technology Institute.
[Image source=Changwon City]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] Changwon City, Gyeongnam, held a 'Special Seminar on the Introduction of Korean-style Aircraft Carriers and the Promotion of Warship MRO Defense Industry Cluster' on the 28th at the Jinhae-gu Yi Sun-sin Leadership International Center.

The seminar was attended by current and former defense and security experts including Yeo Seok-ju, former Director of Defense Policy at the Ministry of National Defense; Park Han-woon, Director of the MRO Convergence Technology Institute; Choi Yong-seon, former Defense Industry Officer at the National Security Office; Jo Dong-jin, Defense Industry Specialist at Changwon City; Professor Shin Seung-min of Pusan National University; and Bang Geuk-cheol, Head of the Warship Project at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.

They discussed the necessity of aircraft carrier construction and measures to establish a warship MRO defense industry cluster system.

The seminar covered topics such as changes in South Korea's future defense strategy, the role of the Navy's home port and Jinhae, the defense industry from a national security perspective, strengthening military power in response to potential threats from neighboring countries and the significance of introducing Korean-style aircraft carriers, fostering the warship MRO defense industry, and creating a new vitality ecosystem for the defense industry through aircraft carrier construction.

Mayor Heo Seong-mu stated, "Changwon is a defense industry mecca city with concentrated defense industry infrastructure," adding, "It is the optimal location for aircraft carrier operation and personnel training, housing the Navy Education Command that trains elite soldiers and the Navy Logistics Command that performs maintenance and repair of military supplies."

He further explained, "Jinhae is the only place where infrastructure for the Navy, Air Force, and Army is concentrated," and "It is adjacent to the Southeast Regional International Airport and hosts the Aircraft Maintenance Unit under the Army Comprehensive Maintenance Depot, making it the region with the highest connectivity between the Navy's fleet power and the Air Force's air power."

Finally, he emphasized, "The aircraft carrier is a modern-day Turtle Ship responding to the changing checks and balances of neighboring countries," and "We will focus all administrative capabilities at the local government level to ensure that Jinhae's advantages, combined with cooperation with the Navy, lead to the successful promotion of the project."

Meanwhile, the government announced in the mid-term defense plan released last August that it plans to invest about 2.6 trillion won by 2033 to design and build a 30,000-ton class light aircraft carrier through domestic research and development. The light aircraft carrier is expected to become a strategic asset that protects maritime routes and performs multipurpose military base missions.

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