Eight Local Governments Including Suwon Discuss Response to Japan's Export Restrictions

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Eight local governments, including Suwon City, which has semiconductor and display-related business sites that have been hit by Japan's export restrictions, gathered at the National Assembly on the 19th to discuss countermeasures.

The meeting of local government heads, organized by the Democratic Party's Special Committee for Materials, Parts, Equipment, and Human Resources Development (Chairman Jung Se-kyun), was attended by Suwon Mayor Yum Tae-young, heads and deputy heads of eight cities including Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek, and Icheon, Special Committee Chairman Jung Se-kyun, Representative Kim Jin-pyo (Suwon), and Representative Hong Eui-rak (Special Committee secretary), among others.

Mayor Yum Tae-young stated, "The semiconductor industry, which can be called the rice of our nation's industry, has been put at risk by Japan's export restrictions. I hope that the government and National Assembly will actively embrace the opinions of local governments, create strategies to overcome the crisis together, and implement them."

Special Committee Chairman Jung Se-kyun responded, "Based on the cooperation of local governments, we will establish effective measures to overcome difficulties. Let us shake off our fears and forge a new path."

Cities with Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, LG Display, and materials, parts, and equipment business sites are concerned that if companies are damaged by export restrictions, there will be disruptions to local corporate tax revenue.

The local government heads attending the meeting proposed the following policies to overcome the crisis: ▲New allocation of industrial complex lots and across-the-board approval of incentives for companies returning to the Seoul metropolitan area ▲Support for semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment cluster development and permission to establish an Industrial Complex Planning Review Committee in metropolitan cities with populations of 500,000 or more ▲Deregulation in environmental sectors.