[1st Anniversary of Mayor Kang Gijeong of Gwangju in the 8th Civil Election]②Decades-Old Issue Solved by 'Desperation'

Proposed Solutions for Long-Awaited Projects Including Complex Shopping Mall, Military Airport Relocation, and Jisan IC

▲Attracting a complex shopping mall ▲Development of the former Jeonbang and Ilsan Textile sites ▲Development of Eodeungsan Tourist Complex ▲Opening of Jisan IC exit road ▲Construction of Baegun Square underground road ▲Relocation of Gwangju Military Airport. These have been representative long-standing challenges that have bound the Gwangju region for decades.

As these issues are gradually being resolved, Mayor Kang Gi-jung of Gwangju Metropolitan City is said to be a very lucky person.

Additionally, achievements such as the opening of the Mudeungsan summit, relocation of the anti-aircraft artillery base, designation of a 1 million-pyeong future car national industrial complex, normalization of the construction of Urban Railway Line 2, and establishment of an AI gifted high school are also cited as accomplishments.

Gwang-gi Jeong, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, is announcing his position following the passage of the Gwangju Military Airport Special Act in the plenary session.
[Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City]

Regarding this, those around Mayor Kang analyze, “It is true that he is lucky, but it cannot be just luck,” adding, “There is a ‘desperation’ combined with his characteristic bold drive, fair opportunity provision, and empathetic listening ability.”

◆Attracting a complex shopping mall and development of the former Jeonbang·Ilsan Textile sites and Eodeungsan Tourist Complex

A project that excites the hearts of Gwangju citizens is the ‘attraction of a complex shopping mall.’ It is estimated to attract 30 million visitors annually and is considered an essential item to transform the ‘no-fun city’ into a ‘fun city.’ Furthermore, with the Eodeungsan Tourist Complex and the former Jeonbang·Ilsan Textile sites being mentioned as candidate locations for the complex shopping mall, it has emerged as one of Gwangju’s largest-ever projects.

The complex shopping mall currently has investment intentions expressed by Hyundai Department Store Group and Shinsegae Property.

Hyundai Department Store Group plans to establish ‘The Hyundai Gwangju,’ the largest in Korea, on the former Jeonbang·Ilsan Textile site. In March, Gwangju City presented a blueprint for not only the complex shopping mall but also the development project of the former Jeonnam·Ilsan Textile site through an international design competition.

The city plans to complete preliminary negotiations on urban planning changes with the site development business operator, Humans Holdings PFV Co., Ltd., by July, finish permits including environmental and traffic approvals and district unit plan decisions by June next year, and aims to start construction by the end of the same year.

Shinsegae Property has announced plans to build ‘Grand Starfield Gwangju’ within the Eodeungsan Tourist Complex. Gwangju City concluded a lawsuit related to the Eodeungsan Tourist Complex development project, which had been stalled for 17 years, last December, and since then, Shinsegae Property has proposed building the Starfield complex shopping mall within Eodeungsan.

The city plans to review and evaluate the business proposal, establish guidelines, and announce a third-party public offering under the Tourism Promotion Act as early as July.

◆Gwangju Military Airport relocation and opening of Mudeungsan summit, solving long-standing issues

The military airport relocation issue, considered the biggest challenge among the ‘5+1 projects,’ took flight in April with the enactment of the ‘Special Act on the Relocation of Gwangju Military Airport and Development of the Former Site.’

The enactment of the Gwangju Military Airport Special Act is regarded as a success factor of the ‘twin law strategy’ pursued alongside the Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport Special Act. During this process, Mayor Kang demonstrated political skills that transcended party lines and secured cooperation from members of the National Assembly.

Especially whenever variables arose, he personally persuaded the Speaker of the National Assembly, floor leaders of both ruling and opposition parties, and ministries including the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Ministry of National Defense, achieving the remarkable feat of enacting the military airport relocation special law that had been unresolved for over 10 years.

Gwangju City and Daegu City have agreed to further cooperate to enact the ‘Special Act Exempting Preliminary Feasibility Study for the Moonlight High-Speed Railway.’

The remaining tasks now include improving unreasonable provisions before the enactment of the enforcement ordinance of the military airport special law and selecting the relocation site for the military airport.

A Gwangju city official stated, “We will maintain close communication with the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Government Legislation, Daegu City, and others without letting our guard down until the legislative notice period ends on the 27th and the Ministry of Government Legislation adjusts the enforcement ordinance draft, striving to prepare the optimal enforcement ordinance.”

Also, the issue of selecting the military airport relocation site will be addressed rationally by preparing win-win measures in cooperation with Jeonnam Province and preliminary candidate sites.

The permanent opening of the Mudeungsan summit is also approaching. Gwangju City plans to complete the relocation of military fences and installation of trails by September in cooperation with the Ministry of National Defense, Air Force Headquarters, and Korea National Park Service, and open the summit to citizens permanently. Additionally, a roadmap for relocating the Mudeungsan anti-aircraft artillery base will be prepared by December.

◆100% safe Gwangju... Jisan IC exit road and Baegun Square underground road construction

The ‘Jisan IC exit road,’ which had been tangled due to safety issues, has also found a solution. A plan that balances citizen convenience, safety, and economic feasibility was found.

Gwangju City held several meetings with internal and external experts, including the Gwangju Police Agency and professors, to successfully find a solution. The already constructed left exit road, which posed high risks, will be closed, but a plan to use 80-90% of the facility is being prepared, and instead, a new exit road will be opened on the right side.

The Baegun Square underground road, initially planned as two one-way lanes from Namgwangju to Nongsung Square, has been redesigned to have one lane in each direction, and construction is currently underway.

These ‘visible achievements’ are evaluated as the result of tailored strategies and focus based on communication between Mayor Kang Gi-jung and public officials.

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