Mayor vows administration will not lag behind investment in chip cluster

Min Hyung-bae, mayor of the South Jeolla-Gwangju Integrated Special City, reaffirmed his commitment to speeding up investment plans for a semiconductor cluster in the region's southwestern area. He said he would work to ensure that Samsung Electronics and SK hynix begin production of semiconductors there starting in the first half of 2030.

"The goal of the South Jeolla-Gwangju Integrated Special City is clear," Min said in a congratulatory speech Thursday at the International Forum on Semiconductor and AI Transformation. The forum was held at the Gwangju Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "We must break ground on the first phase next year, complete it by the end of 2029 and begin initial production in 2030." He added, "We are working hard to make sure administrative procedures never lag behind corporate investment."

"We will do our best to support the stable supply of electricity and water, swift administrative permits, transportation and logistics infrastructure, and above all, the training of skilled talent needed on the ground," Min said.

Min thanked Min Woo Lee, assistant minister for industrial growth at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, for delivering the keynote speech. He said, "We will do our best to keep pace with the efforts of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport."

He described the forum as "an opportunity to examine the experiences of Japan and Germany, as well as global trends in the semiconductor and AI industries." He added, "If this forum can help clarify how the South Jeolla-Gwangju Integrated Special City's semiconductor project should begin, which direction it should take and what it should focus on, we will do our best to carry it out successfully."

He concluded, "The choices we make over just the next few years will be a critical juncture that determines the future of the South Jeolla-Gwangju Integrated Special City and of South Korea's advanced industries."