Jeonnam-Gwangju (Korean: 전남광주), officially Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City (전남광주통합특별시; lit. 'Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City') and also known as Gwangju Special City (광주특별시), is a provincial-level city in South Korea.
It was established on July 1, 2026, through the merger of South Jeolla Province and Gwangju.
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Administrative divisions
Jeonnam-Gwangju consists of the same cities, districts, and counties (with the exception of Gwangju) that were in South Jeolla and Gwangju. Because Gwangju was dissolved (it is not a city within Jeonnam-Gwangju), its districts are now direct subdivisions of Jeonnam-Gwangju.
Jeonnam-Gwangju is divided into 5 cities ("-si"), 5 districts ("-gu") and 17 counties ("-gun").
Economy
Days before Jeonnam-Gwangju was established, the South Korean government announced plans to develop the Gwangju and Jeolla region into the country's second major semiconductor production cluster. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix planned to invest a combined 800 trillion won (approximately US$518 billion) and each construct two memory-chip fabrication plants.
The government said it would support the project by streamlining permits and investing in electricity and industrial-water infrastructure.