Iksan City, drawing the future of a specialized complex for semiconductor materials... Town hall meeting held

Iksan City, Jeollabuk-do, held a town hall meeting at the Iksan Public Video Media Center in Sindong on the 11th with the theme of ‘Semiconductor manufacturing (materials, components, equipment) specialized complex and the future of Iksan.’

About 60 people attended this town hall meeting, including Iksan Mayor Choi Jeong-ho, city officials, executives and employees of local semiconductor manufacturing companies, students and faculty at local universities and high schools, and general citizens.

Recently, Iksan was designated as a ‘semiconductor specialized complex’ supported by the government.

The Iksan region already has a strong industrial ecosystem with about 60 related companies, including Dongwoo Fine-Chem, Lotte Energy Materials, and Miwon Trading Company.

At a town hall meeting on this day, Mayor Choi announced his plan to develop Iksan into a core city for Korea's semiconductor-related industry based on the excellent logistics environment centered on Iksan Station of the high-speed rail (KTX).

A new blueprint for future growth engines was also presented. In addition to semiconductors, the city is preparing the 'physical AI'-based mobile robot industry, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to understand situations in real space and move on its own, as a new growth field.

To this end, we plan to verify autonomous flying robot technology and actively attract related cutting-edge companies.

They also shared the meticulous preparation of infrastructure to attract corporate investment.

The city plans to expand the 3rd general industrial complex to meet the increasing demand for companies to move in, and to supply customized industrial space on time by utilizing empty sites.

We plan to flexibly lift industry restrictions so that there are no obstacles to the entry of high-tech companies, and to stably provide essential facilities such as electricity and industrial water in cooperation with Korea Electric Power Corporation and others.

Specific support measures for the most important topic, ‘improving youth employment and living environments,’ were also discussed in depth.

The city proposed policies to greatly reduce the burden of housing, such as supporting the operation of commuter buses in industrial complexes and supporting rental costs for dormitories for small and medium-sized enterprises, so that young people can settle down in Iksan without leaving for other regions.

Mayor Choi said, "The semiconductor specialized complex cannot be completed through the city's efforts alone. It can only be successful when the close cooperation and wisdom of citizens, companies, and schools come together. Using the precious opinions of citizens as a foundation, we will definitely complete Iksan, a high-tech industrial city full of good jobs and where young people stay."