JEONNAM-GWANGJU — A new advanced industry corridor linking Gwangju and Muan is being pushed forward around the Honam semiconductor cluster, where about 800 trillion won in investment is planned. Under the plan, Gwangju would serve as the chip production base while the Muan national industrial complex would concentrate materials, parts and equipment along with logistics and export functions. The strategy is to build Muan — which has an international airport, rail links and renewable energy — into a support base for Gwangju's advanced industries, giving the Honam region its own semiconductor supply chain.
The Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Metropolitan City said on the 13th that the Muan national industrial complex will target semiconductor materials, parts and equipment, along with renewable energy, artificial intelligence, convergence industries built around Korean food, and logistics. The site covers 3.47 million square meters in Hyeongyeong-myeon, Muan County, which was designated a candidate site for a national industrial complex on Aug. 25.
The complex's strength is its ability to connect advanced manufacturing with logistics and energy in one place. Air cargo is available through Muan International Airport, and once the second phase of the Honam high-speed rail project is completed, Muan Airport Station will connect the site to the national rail network. Road access includes the Muan-Gwangju Expressway and National Route 77.
Abundant renewable energy is another foundation for attracting semiconductor and AI companies. The plan is to develop the site as a complex specializing in distributed energy, supplying locally generated renewable power to advanced manufacturers that require large amounts of electricity. Jeonnam-Gwangju officials say that linking not only production facilities but also materials and parts, energy, logistics and exports would create an advanced industry ecosystem spanning Gwangju and Muan.
The complex's role extends beyond semiconductors. By combining local agricultural and fishery resources with the airport and rail logistics network, the city also plans to build an industrial platform connecting the production, processing, distribution and export of Korean food. The aim is to develop it as a mixed industrial hub that draws in both advanced industries and the region's existing sectors.
The plan is already drawing corporate interest. So far 98 companies have expressed intent to move into the Muan national industrial complex, and the space they require amounts to about 50% of the total industrial land planned for the site. By securing roughly half of that demand at the early candidate-site stage, the city expects momentum for the coming designation and approval process.
"The fact that 98 companies signed investment agreements before construction has even begun shows the business viability of the Muan national industrial complex," Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Metropolitan City Mayor Min Hyung-bae said. "Based on firm corporate demand and economic feasibility, we will actively petition the central government to move quickly on designating and approving the national industrial complex."
