"It must be proven not through announcements but through plans — not through words but through budgets. Stop tormenting Honam with false hope and take responsibility for it as a national strategy."
Lee Jeong-hyeon, former chairman of the People Power Party's candidate screening committee, has again publicly declared his support for building a semiconductor cluster in the Honam region, saying he is prepared to face any backlash.
His remarks came amid growing calls from some quarters of the conservative camp — including former Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo — emphasizing the need for a Honam semiconductor hub. Lee urged the party to "play a role in creating the conditions for success, not in opposing it."
The candidate posted a message on his Facebook page Saturday titled "Prepared to face any backlash," writing that "the Honam semiconductor cluster is not a special favor for Honam but preparation for a unified Korea," and that "Honam's underdevelopment and marginalization is not just Honam's problem — it is a problem for all of South Korea."
He said that just as the whole body suffers when the liver or kidneys are ailing, "it is not the picture of a normal country if any one region is left for a long time without opportunity and lacking industry," adding that "a country that concentrates everything in the Greater Seoul area will struggle to endure."
He went on to argue that "AI will become the standard of industry and semiconductors will become the core infrastructure driving the nation," and that "South Korea will need more power, data centers, advanced manufacturing bases and research and development hubs — and Honam must become one of those pillars."
He concluded by saying that "what conservatives must do is not oppose but verify," describing the responsible conservative role as carefully examining "whether the relevant budget is properly reflected, whether industrial water and power are sufficient, whether transmission networks, roads and railways are being prepared, and whether corporate investment is being made according to market principles — so as to create the conditions for success."
sij@heraldcorp.com
