Claims circulating in political circles that Samsung Electronics would relocate its semiconductor factory to another region have proven unfounded. The issue fueled political debate throughout the recent election, in part because President Lee Jae-myung and former spokesperson Kim Nam-jun, a lawmaker from Incheon's Gyeyang-eul district, had stopped short of making a clear statement on the matter. Kim suggested the decision ultimately rested with the company. Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il has now confirmed that the original plan will stand.
Lee Sang-il, mayor of Yongin Special City, said Wednesday that residents of Yongin and southern Gyeonggi Province — including Pyeongtaek, Hwaseong and Anseong — had grown anxious following media reports that some of Samsung Electronics' fabrication lines at the Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex might be moved as part of a broader plan for large-scale semiconductor investment in the Honam and Chungcheong regions. "Investment decisions are made by the company," Lee said, adding that Samsung Electronics was well aware of the campaign Yongin residents had waged alongside him to protect the complex and would not disappoint them.
Lee said he had contacted a top-level official in Samsung Electronics' semiconductor decision-making chain and received confirmation that none of the fabrication lines at the national industrial complex in Yongin's Idong and Namsaeup areas would be relocated to another region. "Samsung Electronics made clear that it will build six fabs at the national industrial complex as planned," he said.
Lee said Samsung Electronics had also expressed gratitude for the strong response that Yongin residents, together with him, had mounted against what he described as repeated attempts by those in power to destabilize the complex — including proposals to move some of the Samsung fabs to the Honam region. "Samsung Electronics stated clearly that it will not do anything to disappoint the people of Yongin who have stood firm," he said.
Lee said an announcement that Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix would make large-scale investments in other parts of the country was expected soon. He urged Yongin residents to await the forthcoming investment plan calmly, noting that Yongin had no reason to oppose new investment elsewhere as long as the semiconductor national industrial complex already under way in Yongin was not scaled back.
Lee said Samsung was expected to announce major investment plans for the Honam, Chungcheong and Yeongnam regions, describing it as a group-level decision. He called on the president and the government to make their position clear once such investment is announced, so the Yongin semiconductor national industrial complex would no longer face destabilizing pressure.
Lee said that with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix committing to large-scale investment outside the greater Seoul area, efforts should also accelerate to develop the Samsung Electronics Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex and the SK Hynix Yongin Semiconductor Cluster general industrial complex. "In particular, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Land and Housing Corporation should move quickly on site preparation for Samsung Electronics' Yongin national industrial complex," he said, adding that the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy needed to show concrete progress on implementing the second-phase power supply plan for the complex.
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