President Lee Jae Myung holds town hall meeting in Gwangju City

President Lee Jae Myung held a town hall forum in the city of Gwangju today to address a host of regional matters.

Our top office correspondent Song Yoo-jin reports.

Communicating with the public has been one of the key priorities for South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

As part of such efforts, he held a town hall meeting in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Wednesday.

The first half of the meeting centered on the long-stalled relocation of the Gwangju Air Base.

While the city seeks to move both the military air base and its civilian airport to Muan International Airport in the surrounding Jeollanam-do Province, the plan has faced strong opposition from residents of Muan-gun County, largely over concerns about noise and compensation.

The live televised event brought together the mayors and governors of the key stakeholders, Gwangju City, Jeollanam-do Province, and Muan-gun County, each presenting their positions and offering possible compromises.

"The air base relocation should be a chance to elevate Muan International Airport into a gateway hub for the southwestern region. It would be great if the President gives an order to form a joint team, including Muan-gun County, Gwangju City, the Finance and Defense Ministries, to meet and reach a conclusion."

"If the project is led by the central government and comes with groundbreaking incentives that outweigh the costs, I would have a basis to persuade our residents."

The President laid out his plan after hearing from both sides.

Before the town hall, President Lee visited the Sorokdo National Hospital for Hansen's disease patients, becoming the first South Korean president to do so.

This was a promise made by First Lady Kim Hea Kyung, who had visited the island where it's located during the campaigning period.

Song Yoo-jin, Arirang News.