Hong Joonpyo Refers to "Park Chunghee" Amid Honam Semiconductor Cluster Debate... "I Do Not Oppose"

"Necessary for Balanced National Development"
Samsung and SK Investment Announcement Expected on the 29th

Former Daegu Mayor Hong Joonpyo stated that he does not oppose President Lee Jaemyung's plan to announce the Honam Semiconductor Cluster.

On June 28, Hong said via Facebook, "Since the era of President Park Chunghee, Yeongnam has grown based on heavy industries centered in Changwon, the automobile, shipbuilding, and petrochemical industries in Ulsan, and the logistics industry in Busan," making his position clear.

He pointed out, "It is only because Daegu's textile industry declined that its GRDP has ranked last for 30 years," adding, "Only Honam remains an agriculture-focused region without any significant industry."

He continued, "I do not oppose establishing a semiconductor complex in Honam, as long as the location conditions are met," explaining, "It is necessary for balanced national development."

Hong added, "Saemangeum, the last remaining strategic site, is the optimal location for Korea's next leap forward, but it is regrettable that the situation has been stagnant for decades."

He also emphasized the importance of the investment environment. The previous day, Hong argued, "If the investment environment is favorable, companies will naturally gather," and added, "We now live in a world where companies operate based on economic logic, and the logic of investing due to political pressure disappeared long ago."

He further stressed, "For advanced industries like semiconductors, a combination of factors such as airports, logistics, electricity, water, and workforce must be met," and noted, "If the residential environment is inadequate, attracting talent is also difficult."

He questioned, "During the Yoon Sukyeol administration, the business community was pressured to announce 200 trillion won in investments, but were those promises kept?" and "After returning from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it was announced that a 30-billion-dollar investment was secured, but was that promise kept?"

The previous day, President Lee posted six times on social media platforms such as X, sharing messages related to investment in Honam's semiconductor facilities. On June 29, at the “Korea Grand Leap Three Mega Projects National Briefing,” large-scale investment announcements in Honam's semiconductor facilities are expected from Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jaeyong and SK Group Chairman Chey Taewon, the so-called "Samjeonnix" (Samsung Electronics and SK hynix).

President Lee asserted, "Honam is the optimal location in terms of realizing RE100 with renewable energy sources, securing industrial water, and land availability," and described it as "the result of a strategic decision for national balanced development." In response to claims that the Yeongnam region, centered on nuclear power plants, is more advantageous, he countered, "Honam is more suitable as it has a lower risk of earthquakes and stable land availability."

It is anticipated that the upcoming briefing will feature large-scale investment announcements in three key sectors: semiconductors, physical artificial intelligence (AI), and data centers. Initially, the industry considered establishing a semiconductor back-end process facility in Honam, but it is now known that Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have decided to focus on building front-end fabs (factories). The core objective is to create an AI industry ecosystem in Korea based on these large-scale investments in the three major sectors.

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