Lee Sangil: "Government Responsible for Yongin Semiconductor National Industrial Complex Delays... Must Launch a Speed War"

Lee Sangil, Yongin Mayor: "Even Construction on Yongin Semiconductor Complex Has Stalled"

"President Stresses Speed, While Government Remains Indifferent and Neglectful"

LH President Vacancy and Bidding Delays Make 2030 Operation Unavoidable

On June 29, Lee Sangil, Mayor of Yongin Special City, delivered a direct blow to the government regarding the delays in the Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex project. While welcoming the President’s commitment to a “semiconductor speed war,” Mayor Lee strongly urged the government to establish robust measures, emphasizing that the project is now at risk of withering away due to the negligence and indifference of the relevant working-level ministries.

Sangil Lee, Mayor of Yongin Special City. Provided by Yongin City

Mayor Lee stated on the same day, "I welcome the President's announcement to complete the production base early in order to meet semiconductor demand," but added, "What matters is implementation, and it is time for the government to demonstrate speed through action, not just words."

He further remarked, "The government, which has been indifferent to the creation of the Yongin national industrial complex and is also responsible for project delays, should now proceed swiftly and without hesitation with the tasks ahead."

"Site Preparation Work Already Delayed by 6 Months... Extended Vacancy in LH Presidency"

Mayor Lee specifically criticized, point by point, the significant delays in the site preparation work for the national industrial complex being developed in the Idong and Namsa-eup areas of Yongin, compared to the original plan.

According to Mayor Lee, under the initial schedule, Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH) was supposed to announce a civil engineering tender early this year and begin site preparation work by June. However, no tender announcement has been made to date.

Mayor Lee cited government neglect as the cause of these delays. He explained, "Since the end of last year, there have been claims that some fabs within the Yongin Semiconductor National Industrial Complex should be relocated to regional areas, and the vacancy in the LH presidency has persisted for more than eight months." He argued that "the current administration's indifference, neglect, and wavering have become the main reasons for the delays in the creation of the national industrial complex." According to Mayor Lee, at this rate, achieving the national goal of beginning operations at the first-phase fab in the second half of 2030 will be virtually impossible.

Mayor Lee stressed that the government must quickly appoint the LH president and proceed with the tender process for the site preparation work. He said, "Even if work begins within this year, we are already about six months behind schedule," adding, "Any further delays could weaken the country's competitiveness."

Power and Water Supply Infrastructure Construction Also Faces Major Hurdles

Mayor Lee also continued his criticism of the infrastructure construction projects. Regarding power supply, he pointed out, "The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment is hesitant to implement the already confirmed power supply plan, being overly concerned with opposition from certain groups."

He urged, "For the national industrial complex, there is a first-stage power supply plan to build 1GW LNG power plants each by East-West Power, Southern Power, and Western Power for the first and second-phase fabs, providing a total of 3GW, and a second-stage plan to construct new transmission lines for the third and fourth-phase fabs. These plans need to be executed with speed."

He also noted, "The power supply plan for Samsung Electronics' fifth and sixth-phase fabs in the national industrial complex must be established quickly," adding, "The government cannot afford delays in building essential infrastructure while touting ambitions of becoming a semiconductor superpower."

SK hynix semiconductor cluster construction site in the Wonsam-myeon area, Yongin. Provided by Yongin City

The issue of water supply has also emerged as an urgent task. The government has decided to move up the operational start date for SK hynix's fourth-phase fab by 12 years, from the originally planned 2045 to 2033. However, the integrated water pipeline project to supply both the Yongin Semiconductor National Industrial Complex (Samsung Electronics) and the general industrial complex (SK hynix) is scheduled for completion in 2034. Mayor Lee insisted, "To accelerate the start of operations for SK hynix's third and fourth-phase fabs, the integrated pipeline project must also be completed ahead of schedule."

Mayor Lee explained, "The construction to supply 265,000 cubic meters of water per day to the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster general industrial complex via Yeoju Weir is nearly complete. The next step is to connect a pipeline from the integrated intake station in Paldang to the Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex, and from that pipeline to the general industrial complex, which will supply 308,000 cubic meters of water per day to the general industrial complex."

"Not a Single Meeting of the Pan-Governmental Task Force Held Under the Current Administration"

Mayor Lee also raised the serious issue of the absence of a government control tower. He pointed out, "The previous administration convened the pan-governmental task force seven times after the announcement of the national industrial complex, but the current administration has not held a single meeting for over a year since its inauguration." He asserted, "If the government truly intends to accelerate the creation of the Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex, it must immediately convene a meeting of the relevant agencies." This criticism suggests that while the government proclaims itself a 'semiconductor superpower,' it has, in fact, neglected to establish an effective oversight system.

Mayor Lee concluded, "Today, the President said, 'Only a speed war can save us.' I hope the government will mobilize all available support to expedite the creation of the Yongin Semiconductor National Industrial Complex and prove that the President's words are not empty promises."

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