The Republic of Korea Armed Forces announced a master plan to relocate its air base in the southeastern region of Daegu to the nearby area of Uiseong and Gunwi, both in North Gyeongsang Province, by 2030 in an 11.4 trillion-won ($8.6 billion) project. Under the plan, the military will relocate several Army and Air Force units currently stationed at the base, home to F-15K fighter jets, to the envisioned facilities, as well as those of the US Forces Korea (USFK). It said it has drawn up the “basic plan” in consultations with related government agencies and the US military authorities.
Daegu formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is the third-largest official metropolitan area in the nation with over 2.5 million residents; and the second-largest city after Busan in the Yeongnam region in southeastern Korean Peninsula. Daegu is located in south-eastern Korea about 80 km (50 mi) from the seacoast, near the Geumho River and its mainstream, Nakdong River in Gyeongsang-do. Daegu hosts three American military bases, Camp Henry, Camp George which houses Daegu American School, and Camp Walker.
Camp Walker houses Daegu High School for high school children, while Camp George hold the school for elementary and middle school. Camp George also houses most of the married ranked soldiers. Camp Henry and Camp Walker serve as the primary place of work for all the military personnel. Camp Walker serves as the home to enlisted Sergeants Major and Officer ranked soldiers, Major and up. Although non-military families can enroll their children at the school, most either home-school their children or send them to a small Christian private school which teaches about 25 children near the central business district of Daegu.
According to South Korean media KoreaHerald KoreaHerald reported that the Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea plans to hand over the air base in Daegu, 237 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to the city in return for the donation of a newly built one. A military compound with the total size of 16.9 square km will be built there. Daegu and its surrounding province have long been pushing for a new airport that will be used by both the military and civilians with plans to shut down the existing Daegu International Airport and Daegu Air Base amid continued complaints of aircraft noise from local residents.
