The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions has expressed strong support for plans by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to build semiconductor factories in the Honam region of southwestern Korea.
The KCTU's South Jeolla Province chapter issued a statement Tuesday saying it hopes the semiconductor cluster will serve as "a new growth engine driving regional economic revitalization, quality job creation and balanced national development." The union also pledged to "actively cooperate in meeting the expectations and demands of residents of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City, so that it can become a place of hope for local youth and future generations."
The union urged that "certain conservative media outlets and specific regions must immediately stop their efforts to check and distort investment in Honam," adding that "the history of marginalization and discrimination against Honam has been deep, and the government and companies must break ground without delay or hesitation."
However, the KCTU stressed that the semiconductor cluster project is being carried out with public resources — including land, water and electricity — funded by taxpayers, and that excess profits generated there "must not be monopolized by large conglomerates alone." The union called for legal and institutional mechanisms to ensure those profits are returned to workers, local residents and the broader public.
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