In the all-out effort between the government and companies to create the Honam semiconductor cluster worth 800 trillion won, the opposition party's check centered on the People Power Party and internal difficulties within the region are emerging as variables.
Ministers of government ministries and heads of companies are visiting the site one after another and are putting effort into starting construction as early as possible, but during the government audit, suspicions of pressure on corporate investment and a battle between the ruling and opposition parties over the feasibility of financial support are continuing.
As issues of relocating the military airport, securing industrial water, and focusing on semiconductor investment arose within Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, conflict resolution and implementation plans emerged as issues to be resolved.
◇ Performance goals within the current government’s term… All-out effort by government and companies to start construction early
According to Jeonnam Gwangju Unified Special Metropolitan City and the political circles on the 18th, the government is speeding up the semiconductor cluster project to build four memory semiconductor production facilities (fabs) for Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in the Gwangju Military Airport area.
The goal of achieving tangible results by completing the first semiconductor production facility and realizing the first mass production within the current government's term is working.
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won visited Gwangju Military Airport on the 9th and expressed his intention to start construction early, saying that construction can begin first even if power and water supply is delayed.
Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-gwan inspected the site development and power and water supply plans at the site on the 12th and emphasized the government-wide support policy, saying, “The entire cabinet is working.”
On the 14th, Minister of National Defense Kang Shin-cheol inspected Gwangju Military Airport and the proposed relocation site in Muan and ordered the military to maintain operational readiness and carry out its mission without a hitch.
On the 15th, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Hong Ji-sun also visited the planned site for a national semiconductor industrial complex with Lee Seong-hoon, CEO of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), and took steps to inspect site development conditions and priority development sites.
On the same day, the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly also inspected the Gwangju 1st Fighter Wing. Chairman Jin Seong-jun of the National Defense Commission emphasized the importance of creating a semiconductor cluster, but urged that no security vacuum should occur during the military airport relocation process.
◇ National power's 'pressure and hasty support for companies' offensive... Democratic Party backlash against “political war”
Opposition parties, such as the People Power Party, have begun to check the speed and method of project implementation through government audits and other events.
In particular, issues are focused on whether companies make voluntary investment decisions, the feasibility of financial support concentrated in the Honam region, and administrative procedures in the form of speed battles.
People Power Party lawmakers Jo Ji-yeon and Yoon Han-hong raised questions about whether companies voluntarily decided to invest in Honam during the audit of the Trade, Industry, Energy, Small and Medium Venture Business Committee on the 6th, and Assemblyman Kim Do-eup raised questions about the basis for calculating 6 trillion won worth of financial support and the preliminary feasibility study exemption procedure.
On the 12th, Representative Koo Ja-geun interpreted Chairman Chey Tae-won's visit to Gwangju as the result of pressure on companies from the government and ruling party and requested that he be adopted as a witness for the National Assembly inspection.
At the National Assembly audit of the Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee on the 13th, Rep. Na Kyung-won and others argued that Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Chairman Choi should be called as witnesses to investigate suspicions of external pressure in the investment decision process.
The Democratic Party counterattacked, saying that investment in national strategic industries and balanced regional development were the subject of political dispute.
Rep. Jin-wook Jeong responded to the People Power Party's criticism of Chairman Choi's on-site visit by asking, "Is the National Assembly threatening companies?"
Rep. Shin Jeong-hoon also pointed out that the request by corporate heads to adopt witnesses was "meaning they will use it as a tool for political strife" and countered by saying, "Let the Honam also make a living."
◇ Difficulty in relocating military airport and sharing finances… Water/regional conflict is also a variable
In addition to political battles, there are many challenges that must be resolved to create a semiconductor cluster.
The biggest variable is the relocation of Gwangju Military Airport, which is directly related to securing land.
The government plans to temporarily relocate air force functions to other bases by mid-2028, but is reexamining early relocation plans following President Lee Jae-myung's order to shorten the schedule.
However, there are still tasks to be resolved, such as maintaining the conditions for conducting military operations and the pilot training system, negotiating the return of land donated to the U.S. military, and securing temporary deployment facilities.
There is also controversy regarding the cost of creating an industrial complex and relocation costs.
People Power Party lawmaker Kang Dae-sik estimated in the National Assembly audit that a total of 9 trillion won will be spent to create the industrial complex, and the construction cost per pyeong will amount to 5.14 million won, which is more expensive than surrounding areas.
Jeonnam Gwangju City refuted that it did not review the construction cost and sale price because LH's investigation and design services were in progress.
As for the 1 trillion won regional support project resulting from the relocation of Muan Military Airport, a plan to share the shortfall due to the decrease in government support funds and donations and rental revenue has not been confirmed.
Establishing power and water supply facilities and securing resident acceptance are also tasks.
The government plans to secure an initial power of 3.1 GW and 150,000 tons of industrial water per day by the end of 2028, but there are concerns about conflicts with local residents in the process of expanding transmission facilities and securing additional water.
On the 14th, Jeonnam Gwangju City Council member Ryu Ki-jun (Hwasun 2) asked for residents' consent and compensation measures for the development of Dongbok Dam in a municipal administration question at the Jeonnam Gwangju City Council, while Kim Moon-soo (Shinan 1) pointed out the concentration of investment in semiconductors and the alienation of rural and fishing communities and requested a balanced distribution of integrated subsidies.
A local industry official predicted, "Despite the speed race between the government and companies, the key to achieving the goal will likely be how quickly difficult issues such as relocating the military airport, sharing finances, securing infrastructure, and adjusting interests between regions are resolved."
