People Power Party's TK Political Leaders Also Protest: "Honam Semiconductor Investment Selection Lacks Fairness and Transparency"

"Decisions Should Be Based on Market Competitiveness, Not Politics"
"Call for Public Disclosure of Investment Evaluation Criteria and Selection Procedures"

On June 29, political representatives of the People Power Party from the Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do (TK) region raised concerns over the government's announcement regarding the creation of a semiconductor cluster in the Honam area, questioning the fairness and transparency of the selection process and urging the public disclosure of evaluation criteria. They argued that the location of national strategic industries should be determined by market competitiveness, not political considerations.

Cheolwoo Lee, Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do; Kyohong Chu, Mayor-elect of Daegu; Inseon Lee, Chair of the People Power Party Daegu City Branch; and Jageun Koo, Chair of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Branch, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Center that day to announce this position.

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Chu Kyung-ho, Mayor-elect of Daegu, along with other People Power Party officials from the Daegu-Gyeongbuk political community, are holding a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall on the 29th.

Governor Lee stated, "We must reflect on whether today's government decision to invest in Honam truly serves the interests of the entire nation or is intended to exclude certain regions," and added, "It is disheartening to see the reality in which the TK region has been pushed aside even from the evaluation stage due to political reasons."

Mayor-elect Chu also questioned the fairness and transparency of the selection procedure. He said, "Although today's announcement is under the banner of balanced national development, the substance and process are closer to 'national division development,' fostering regional conflict and distrust. If the government and corporations cannot transparently explain the decision-making process and procedures to the public and shareholders, it will be difficult to avoid criticism that this was a political decision."

He continued, "Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do possess the largest base for semiconductor workforce training and R&D capabilities south of the Seoul metropolitan area, as well as stable electricity and water supply, large-scale industrial sites, a national semiconductor specialized complex, and companies specializing in materials, components, and equipment. If such a region was excluded even from consideration, it is a clear case of regional discrimination."

Governor Lee stated that while he can understand the transfer of back-end processing facilities to the Honam region from the perspective of balanced development, it is difficult to accept the creation of a cluster that includes front-end fabs from the standpoint of industrial competitiveness. He said, "It is understandable for packaging factories to be located in Honam, but it is difficult to accept the relocation of front-end semiconductor fabs when considering the region's industrial foundation and competitiveness."

He further criticized, "The semiconductor industry ecosystem is developed over decades based on abundant electricity, industrial water, networks of partner companies, logistics infrastructure, and outstanding talent. Forcing companies to choose locations through political intervention, while ignoring the industrial ecosystem, is tantamount to undermining the global competitiveness of Korea's semiconductor industry."

Mayor-elect Chu also stressed, "Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do are not asking for special favors, but for a fair opportunity to compete. The location of national strategic industries should be determined by market competitiveness, not political considerations."

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