Bernie Ecclestone is convinced Korea will prove later this month that it is capable of hosting a Formula One race.
Yeongam, about a four-hour drive from Seoul, is scheduled to host its inaugural grand prix on October 24 but some buildings and grandstands are half-built, fences are missing, run-off areas unpaved while the track has only an initial layer of asphalt.
The FIA has given the Korea International Circuit a deadline of September 21 to show it can pass the governing body's final inspection.
"There are problems but we assume that the race can take place," Ecclestone said. "The circuit is definitely ready, but as for all the buildings, perhaps not. So we may have to put up some tents!"
Should the circuit fails its final inspection, the sporting regulations state that the event 'will not be considered for inclusion in the following year's championship unless the FIA judges the cancellation to have been due to force majeure'.