Gwangju and Jeonnam Launch 'One Team' for Semiconductor Specialized Complex Development

Joint Steering Committee Launched... Policy Development and Support for Semiconductor Talent Cultivation

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Gwangju and Jeonnam have established a full-scale task force to create a semiconductor specialized complex, the first cooperative project of the 8th local government administration's win-win initiative.

Gwangju Metropolitan City and Jeonnam Province announced on the 27th that they held the launch ceremony of the "Gwangju-Jeonnam Semiconductor Industry Promotion Joint Committee" at Gwangju Technopark.

About 30 people attended the launch ceremony, including Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-jung, Jeonnam Governor Kim Young-rok, City Council Chairman Jeong Mu-chang, Provincial Council Chairman Seo Dong-wook, Jeonnam National University President Jeong Seong-taek, and former Hynix President Kim Jong-gap.

The Promotion Committee consists of about 20 distinguished and knowledgeable figures related to the semiconductor industry.

The joint chairpersons are the governors of Gwangju and Jeonnam, Jeong Seong-taek, President of Jeonnam National University, and Kim Jong-gap, former Hynix President. Members include former senior secretaries of economy, former vice ministers of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, current and former directors of national research institutes, executives of semiconductor-related companies, and renowned professors.

The Promotion Committee will play a role in supporting corporate attraction and policy establishment for the designation of the semiconductor specialized complex, as well as fostering semiconductor talent.

Co-chairman Kim Jong-gap said, "It is necessary to foster regionally distinctive semiconductor industries from the perspective of national balanced development and economic security," adding, "I will actively cooperate with the committee members to ensure that a semiconductor specialized complex is established in Gwangju and Jeonnam."

Co-chairman Jeong Seong-taek also said, "Nurturing talent is a very important task for the sustainable virtuous cycle of the semiconductor industry ecosystem," and added, "We will do our best to gather the capabilities of local universities to cultivate core semiconductor talent."

Meanwhile, with the full-scale operation of the Promotion Committee and the task force established earlier this month, the creation of the Gwangju-Jeonnam semiconductor specialized complex is considered to have entered its main track.

Gwangju and Jeonnam plan to attract specialized complexes linked to regional key industries such as AI, power, and automobiles to the border areas between the two provinces.

Once the semiconductor specialized complex is established, it is expected to create a large number of high-quality jobs preferred by young people and serve as an opportunity for Gwangju and Jeonnam to stand tall as the center of South Korea's advanced strategic industries.

Earlier, Gwangju and Jeonnam secured 14.35 billion KRW in semiconductor-related budgets in the first budget allocation of the new government last month. This includes 1.4 billion KRW for building an advanced fab for visual intelligence semiconductors, 7 billion KRW for creating a public open AI semiconductor verification environment, 5.6 billion KRW for establishing an energy new material hub center for power semiconductor equipment construction, and 350 million KRW for building a next-generation grid semiconductor center.

Mayor Kang Gi-jung said, "If the Gwangju-Jeonnam Joint Innovation City was Win-Win Season 1, the semiconductor specialized complex is Win-Win Season 2," adding, "Let us work together through the Joint Promotion Committee, which consists of two pillars: regional industrial development and talent cultivation, to attract the semiconductor specialized complex to Gwangju and Jeonnam."

Governor Kim Young-rok stated, "To prevent the concentration of the semiconductor industry in the metropolitan area and for national balanced development, a semiconductor specialized complex is necessary in Gwangju and Jeonnam, which have excellent conditions," and added, "Together with the committee members and local capabilities, we will do our best to attract the specialized complex."