Presidential Office: "Opposition's Incorrect Remarks Politicize and Undermine President's Overseas Visit Achievements"

The Presidential Office on the 16th refuted opposition parties' claims that the ASML-Samsung research and development (R&D) center announced during President Yoon Seok-yeol's state visit to the Netherlands was merely a repackaging of previously secured projects, stating that "this is completely untrue."

President Yoon Seok-yeol wearing a protective suit (left in the photo) visited the cleanroom at ASML headquarters in Veldhoven on the 12th (local time) and listened to an explanation from Christoph Pueke, ASML Chief Business Officer, together with King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. [Image source=Yonhap News]

In a statement issued by the spokesperson's office on the same day, the Presidential Office said, "The 1 trillion won R&D center project between ASML and Samsung that was finalized this time is a completely separate matter from existing investment projects."

Regarding the R&D center construction, it explained, "It is a project to jointly develop advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes based on next-generation EUV technology," adding, "The President has met with the ASML chairman twice and continuously requested expanded investment, and ASML decided on this additional investment during this visit."

The Presidential Office also pointed out that the investment project mentioned in the Democratic Party's commentary held a groundbreaking ceremony in November last year and is currently under construction. This directly contradicts the Democratic Party's statement from the previous day, which claimed that the ASML Korea R&D center construction was a project already secured through a 2021 memorandum of understanding between Hwaseong City and Gyeonggi Province.

The Presidential Office criticized, "The Democratic Party's commentary contains fundamental factual errors," and added, "It even appears to have the intention of politically belittling the President's diplomatic achievements." It further demanded, "We hope the Democratic Party will immediately correct the erroneous briefing."

Earlier, Democratic Party spokesperson Choi Min-seok stated in a commentary the previous day, "The construction of ASML's Korea R&D center is not an achievement created by President Yoon Seok-yeol," and claimed, "ASML already signed a semiconductor cluster development memorandum of understanding with Hwaseong City and Gyeonggi Province in 2021, and held a groundbreaking ceremony last November to commence construction of the R&D center."

He criticized, "It is outrageous to package and hijack the achievements made through the efforts of private companies such as Samsung and Hynix, and the support of Gyeonggi Province and Hwaseong City, as the 'completion of a global semiconductor alliance' and as the President's diplomatic achievement."