Yongin Mayor Lee Sangil Urges Responsible Support for Yongin Semiconductor Belt

New Year's Press Briefing: "Relocating to Local Regions Is an Irresponsible Claim That Undermines Industrial Competitiveness"
"We Will Steadily Advance the Creation of the Semiconductor Belt to Prepare for South Korea's Future"

"Proposals to relocate Yongin's semiconductor cluster to regions such as Saemangeum would destroy South Korea's semiconductor industry. These are politically motivated arguments made without understanding the reality, and they must be stopped immediately as they only cause confusion."

The main theme of Yongin Mayor Lee Sangil's New Year's press briefing, held on January 9 at the Giheung ICT Valley Convention Center in Gugaldong, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, was "semiconductors." Mayor Lee devoted most of the nearly two-hour meeting to criticizing the recent political controversy over relocating the semiconductor cluster to local regions.

Lee Sangil, Mayor of Yongin, is urging the government to provide responsible support for the "Yongin Semiconductor Belt" during a New Year's press briefing held on the 9th at Giheung ICT Valley. Provided by Yongin City

Mayor Lee stated, "SK Hynix's semiconductor production line, which broke ground early last year, as well as Samsung Electronics' advanced system semiconductor national industrial complex in Idong and Namsa, have already completed administrative procedures and entered the land compensation phase. Insisting on relocating these projects to local regions for political purposes, when both are already well underway, is an irresponsible claim that undermines national competitiveness."

Mayor Lee also called on the presidential office and the government to take responsible action. Although the presidential office attempted to address the controversy the previous day by saying that the relocation of the semiconductor cluster to local regions is "not under consideration," Mayor Lee argued that this was still an irresponsible remark.

The previous day, the presidential office had stated, "The decision to relocate a company is up to the company itself," and "We are not considering the relocation of companies involved in the cluster."

He said, "The system semiconductor industrial complex was designated as a 'specialized complex' by the government and has been promoted as a national project. The government should draw a clearer line against calls for relocation to local regions and take responsibility for supporting the project."

Mayor Lee particularly emphasized, "Now, the President must step forward to resolve the confusion. I urge a clear statement of position before the public."

He also said, "What the government needs to do now is to ensure that power and water are supplied to the semiconductor industrial complex as originally planned, without any setbacks, and to persuade opponents."

According to Yongin City, the advanced system semiconductor industrial complex, which began its compensation process in December last year, has already reached a 20% completion rate in compensation. If this trend continues, the compensation process is expected to be completed within the year, allowing for the full-scale removal of obstacles and site development work to begin.

Mayor Lee stressed, "The competitiveness of the semiconductor industry depends on time." He noted that demand for artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors has already tripled compared to when the industrial complex was first designated, and demand for DRAM is surging. Therefore, he believes that support must be provided to ensure that Samsung Electronics' first semiconductor fabrication plant in the complex can begin operations as scheduled in 2030.

He also refuted claims from local politicians that power for the semiconductor industry could be supplied using solar and other renewable energy sources. "Even if the entire Saemangeum reclaimed area were covered with solar panels, it would not be enough to reliably produce the 15 gigawatts of electricity needed to operate a semiconductor fab," he said.

Mayor Lee warned that with 90% of domestic semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment companies concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, dispersing Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix's production lines to local regions would threaten the semiconductor ecosystem that has been built up over decades.

Yongin City also plans to continue advancing its ongoing semiconductor projects without setbacks this year. The city aims to accelerate the creation of an "L-shaped semiconductor belt" connecting the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, the advanced system semiconductor national industrial complex, and the Platform City near Guseong Station.

Mayor Lee said, "We will establish a support system for infrastructure expansion, such as roads and railways, to ensure the success of the semiconductor belt and lay the foundation for building the world's largest semiconductor ecosystem. In particular, we will expand cultural and leisure facilities in Platform City and the Idong Public Housing District to improve the living conditions for workers in the semiconductor belt."

Mayor Lee concluded, "Yongin's large-scale semiconductor belt is not an abstract plan, but a reality unfolding before our eyes. We will accelerate the creation of the semiconductor belt that we have been pursuing without wavering, preparing for the future of our city and South Korea."