Kim Jongkwan: "Honam Semiconductor Plant Aiming for First-Phase Completion in 2029... Thorough Support to Follow"

At August 11 Cabinet Meeting
Reports Results of 2nd Public-Private Joint Inspection on Three Major Megaprojects
First Announcement of Honam Fab Completion Timeline

Jungkwan Kim, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, announced on the 11th that for the Honam Semiconductor Cluster, a core project of the three major mega-projects, "With the goal of completing the first phase of the semiconductor fab by 2029, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will take the lead in rapidly advancing the establishment of the national industrial complex and the cluster development plan."

Minister Kim made this statement while reporting the results of the second joint public-private inspection meeting for the three major mega-projects, held the previous day, to President Lee Jaemyung during a Cabinet meeting at the Government Complex Sejong on this day. This is the first time that a completion timeline has been presented for the Honam semiconductor fab.

Jungkwan Kim, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are undertaking large-scale investments to construct a total of four semiconductor fabs in Honam, with two fabs each. Minister Kim stated, "In order to facilitate the swift operation of the Honam Semiconductor Cluster, we have reviewed measures to secure sites and infrastructure. The central government, local governments, and corporations have agreed to work together so that the project can get on track as quickly as possible." He emphasized that "power and water—the key infrastructure—will be backed by regional renewable energy, energy storage systems (ESS), and combined heat and power/liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants, ensuring stable electricity supply. In particular, under the leadership of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, we will thoroughly support the project by shortening the construction period of the first phase underground power line, among other measures."

The government plans to accelerate the operation of the Honam Semiconductor Cluster by temporarily relocating the functions of Gwangju Air Force Base, which has been designated as the cluster site, to another military airfield by mid-2028. This measure follows President Lee’s instructions during the joint public-private inspection meeting for the three mega-projects the previous day: "The Ministry of National Defense should temporarily relocate the functions of the Gwangju base to another military airfield by mid-2028." To this end, the temporary relocation of Gwangju Air Force Base and the commencement of construction for Muan Air Base will be carried out simultaneously.

In addition, the government plans to deliberate and approve an exemption from the preliminary feasibility study for the expansion of water infrastructure for the Honam Semiconductor Industrial Complex as early as the upcoming Cabinet meeting on the 25th. The government estimates that more than 1 trillion won in construction costs will be needed to supply sufficient water to the semiconductor industrial complex in the southwestern region. By pursuing this exemption and accelerating the expansion of the water infrastructure project, the government aims to speed up the development process.

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