Gwangju Mayor-Elect Park Gwanyeol Stages Solo Protest in Front of Samsung Over Yongin Semiconductor Water Supply Project

"Stop Forcing Unilateral Sacrifice on Gwangju City Over Yongin Semiconductor Industrial Complex Water Pipeline"

Park Gwanyeol, the elected mayor of Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, has begun an indefinite solo protest in opposition to the project’s approach, which demands sacrifice only from Gwangju City, regarding the integrated water supply project for the establishment of the Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor Cluster.

Park Kwanyul, the newly elected mayor of Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, has begun an indefinite one-person protest in opposition to the approach of advancing the integrated water supply project for the establishment of the Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor Cluster, which demands only sacrifices from Gwangju city. Photo by Gwangju City, Gyeonggi Province

On June 17, Park held a protest at the intersection near Suwon Samsung Digital City, where Samsung Electronics’ headquarters is located, holding a sign that read “Stop Forcing Sacrifice on Gwangju City, Demand for Practical Coexistence Measures,” strongly urging the government, Gyeonggi Province, and Samsung Electronics to prepare concrete coexistence plans.

This protest comes as a pipeline passing through Gwangju City is being planned to supply water to the Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor Cluster. Park raised the issue that, compared to the regulatory burdens and construction impacts Gwangju City must bear, there is a severe lack of support measures for the city’s local development.

Park stated, “For decades, Gwangju City has endured multiple overlapping regulations to protect the water sources of the Seoul metropolitan area,” and added, “Even in the process of supplying water for the Yongin semiconductor industrial complex, Gwangju is once again being unilaterally forced to sacrifice its front yard for the pipeline route.”

Park went on to point out, “The current measures presented are limited to minimizing inconvenience to residents during construction and can hardly be considered genuine support for Gwangju’s regional development.” He added, “The success of national projects begins with coexistence with local communities. Together with Gwangju residents, I will continue this indefinite relay protest until Gwangju’s legitimate demands are reflected and genuine coexistence measures are established.”

Meanwhile, ahead of the launch of the 9th popularly elected local administration, Park has taken a rare and strong stance by launching an outdoor protest even before his official term begins. He plans to continue actively urging for coexistence measures, not only with Samsung Electronics but also through ongoing consultations with relevant agencies such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Environment, and Korea Water Resources Corporation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.