Gyeonggi Province Mediation Resolves 'Pyeongtaek-Yongin Water Source Protection Zone Issue'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gab-dong] With Gyeonggi Province's mediation resolving the long-standing 'Pyeongtaek-Yongin Water Source Protection Zone Issue,' an opportunity has been created to advance the 'Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor Cluster' in earnest.

On the 17th, Gyeonggi Province held an agreement ceremony at FKI Tower in Yeouido, Seoul with eight organizations including the Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Trade Industry and Energy, Ministry of Environment, Yongin Special City, Pyeongtaek City, Samsung Electronics, and LH for the successful establishment of the Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor Cluster National Industrial Complex and the promotion of mutual cooperation.

The Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor Cluster will be developed across an area of approximately 7.28 million square meters (2.2 million pyeong) in Idong-eup and Namsa-eup in Yongin City, and will accommodate six manufacturing plants along with up to 150 partner companies.

According to the agreement signed on this day, a portion of the Yongin National Industrial Complex site currently included in the Songtan Water Source Protection Zone restrictions is expected to be released from the restricted area.

This area has been the site of conflict lasting over 40 years between Yongin City, which has demanded regulatory relaxation, and Pyeongtaek City, which insists it is unavoidable for water intake source protection. The province began mediation from 2015 to resolve the conflict, and in 2019 organized a private-public-government cooperation body under the supervision of the Vice Governor for Administration. As a result of continued mediation by the province, it signed a 'Pyeongtaek Lake Basin Mutual Cooperation Business Agreement' with the Ministry of Environment, Yongin, Pyeongtaek, and Anseong City in 2021.

Pyeongtaek City made the decision to close the water intake facility in the Songtan Water Source Protection Zone to strengthen national semiconductor industry competitiveness, and the area is expected to be released from the water source protection zone. However, to prevent water shortages for domestic use due to the closure of the intake facility, Pyeongtaek City agreed to use water that was scheduled to be supplied to the Godeok Industrial Complex for domestic use, and to compensate for the shortage of industrial water through seawater desalination jointly pursued by the city and Samsung Electronics.

The province and the Ministry of Environment designated and are implementing Pyeongtaek Lake as a 'priority management reservoir' and will continue efforts to improve water quality by installing two water quality automatic measurement stations. The location of the discharge outlet for treating industrial wastewater will be reflected in the industrial complex plan through opinion collection from Gyeonggi Province, Yongin City, and Pyeongtaek City.

The province is providing full-scale support at the provincial level for the successful implementation of the Yongin National Industrial Complex. Following the government's announcement of the Yongin Industrial Complex in March last year, Gyeonggi Province formed a semiconductor support task force. Governor Kim Dong-yeon personally chaired a kick-off meeting and urged that it "become a vessel capable of resolving grievances of semiconductor companies." The task force held five meetings under the leadership of the Vice Governor for Economy and discussed pending issues including the release of water source protection zones.

The province plans to swiftly implement the water source protection zone release approval procedures specified in the agreement and will actively support the complex development project being pursued by Pyeongtaek City.