Promotion of Private Highway Construction Connecting Yongin-Icheon Semiconductor Belt

Connecting 55km from Yongin to Icheon to Chungju
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Requests Private Investment Feasibility Study from KDI

The feasibility review for the construction project of a privately financed highway connecting SK Hynix's semiconductor hubs in Yongin and Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, to Chungju, Chungbuk Province, is set to begin in earnest.

On the 17th, according to Yongin City and others, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recently completed an internal review of the 'Yongin~Chungju Highway' private project proposed by Lotte Construction and requested a private investment suitability investigation from the Korea Development Institute (KDI) Public Investment Management Center.

A panoramic view of the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster General Industrial Complex construction site in Wonsam-myeon, Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, where SK Hynix's semiconductor production line is being established.
[Photo by Yongin-si]

This project is a private investment project proposed by Lotte to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport earlier this year. It connects Mohyeon-eup in Cheoin-gu, Yongin City, passing through Wonsam and Baegam-myeon, to Sinnimyeon in Chungju, Chungbuk Province, with a total length of approximately 55 km.

If this road construction is realized, it will connect the 'Yongin Semiconductor Cluster General Industrial Complex' in Wonsam-myeon, which is being developed with the goal of starting SK Hynix's production line in the first half of 2027, and the SK Hynix semiconductor factory in Icheon via the highway. In particular, the new road will be directly connected through junctions (JCT) with four existing highways: Yeongdong, Jungbu, Pyeongtaek-Jecheon, and Sejong-Pocheon, improving accessibility in the relatively underdeveloped southern Yongin area of Cheoin-gu, where the road network is weak.

For this reason, Yongin City also expressed its position during the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's opinion inquiry on the route last May, stating that "prompt progress is necessary as it connects major arterial roads within the jurisdiction."

Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin City, said, "We welcome the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's swift project promotion," adding, "The Yongin~Chungju Highway will become a key road axis connecting the semiconductor ecosystem in the southern metropolitan area along with the 'Semiconductor Highway.'"

Meanwhile, the government is promoting the construction of the 'Semiconductor Highway (tentative name)' connecting Hwaseong Yanggam~Yongin Namsa and Idong~Anseong Iljuk. This road is also currently undergoing a private investment suitability investigation by KDI.