Lee Directly Refutes "Honam Water Shortage Theory": "Samsung and SK Are Not Foolish Enough to Build Factories in Water-Scarce Regions"

President Lee Delivers Direct Rebuttal to Southwestern Water Shortage Claims
"Would the Government Ever Urge Building Semiconductor Plants Where There Is No Water?"
"A Matter That Determines the Fate of Korea, Beyond Political Positions"
Policy Chief Also Refutes Claim: "Securing 1 Million Tons of Industrial Water Per Day Is Feasible"

President Lee Jae-myung directly refuted the so-called "Honam water shortage theory" that has arisen during the process of establishing a semiconductor cluster in the southwestern region on June 27. With the National Public Briefing on Regional Balanced Development Investment Strategy approaching on the 29th, and as debate intensifies around the feasibility of locating the semiconductor industry outside the capital area due to water supply concerns, President Lee personally intervened, stating, "Honam has as much water as Yeongnam or the Seoul metropolitan area," aiming to put an end to the controversy.

President Lee Jae-myung is entering the Senior Secretary Meeting held at the Cheong Wa Dae Yeomin Hall on the 7th. From left, Kim Yongbeom, policy chief; President Lee Jae-myung; Kwon Hyukgi, protocol secretary; and Wi Seongrak, director of the National Security Office. May 7, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On this day, President Lee shared a media report on X (formerly Twitter) that discussed the government’s review of repurposing agricultural reservoirs to supply water for a semiconductor cluster in Honam, a region alleged to suffer from water scarcity. In response, he stated, "Honam has as much water as Yeongnam or the Seoul metropolitan area," and added, "For decades, however, water resources have simply been left at a level sufficient only to meet agricultural needs, due to the region being managed as an agricultural city for political purposes of divided governance."

President Lee further remarked, "If we establish proper management systems and appropriately allocate and manage water resources for advanced urban development, supplying 1 million tons of industrial water per day is feasible according to our review." As semiconductor manufacturing facilities require massive amounts of electricity and water, the potential to secure sufficient water has become a central issue in discussions about the southwestern cluster.

President Lee went on to say, "It is unreasonable to suggest that Samsung and SK hynix, the world’s first- and second-ranked leading semiconductor firms, would plan to build mega-scale factories in a region lacking water—one of the most essential elements for semiconductor production—without careful consideration." He added, "The government would also never encourage the construction of factories in areas without an adequate water supply."

He also delivered a message cautioning against the issue escalating into a political dispute. President Lee stated, "Regardless of political stance, I ask for your understanding and cooperation regarding regional balanced development and nationwide co-prosperity policies that will determine the fate of the Republic of Korea." He emphasized that the discussion regarding the southwestern semiconductor cluster should not be seen as favoritism toward a specific region or as a politically motivated allocation, but rather as a matter of redrawing the national industrial map to overcome the limitations of the Seoul metropolitan area’s concentration.

Previously, Kim Yong-beom, policy chief at the Blue House, also addressed the issue in greater detail on Facebook. He acknowledged, "It is true that large-scale industrial water supply infrastructure has not yet been sufficiently established in the southwestern region," but clarified, "However, that does not mean there is a shortage of water resources." He argued, "The pool of water resources is sufficient—they are merely dispersed across surplus dam capacity, decades’ worth of unused over-allocated water, large agricultural weirs and storage facilities, and recycled wastewater."

Kim further emphasized, "The key issue is not whether water exists or not, but rather how we design water management and infrastructure at the national level." Referring to plans currently being reviewed and validated by the Ministry of Climate and Energy, he stated, "By leveraging already proven water management techniques such as raising dam heights and reallocating agricultural water, it is also deemed feasible to secure industrial water at the scale of 1 million tons per day."

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