Kim Dong-yeon Achieves 'Over 100 Trillion Won in Investment Attraction' Through Global Sales Efforts Spanning Five Earth Circumferences

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gap-dong] Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon has achieved the valuable accomplishment of 'early achievement of over 100 trillion won in investment attraction' through global sales efforts spanning five Earth circumferences and active support initiatives.

Governor Kim officially announced that he achieved the 100 trillion won investment target during a business trip to the United States in October by successfully attracting investment from a global semiconductor company. This marks the achievement of the investment target in excess of 2 years and 8 months since announcing the goal of attracting over 100 trillion won in investment during his term in February 2023.

As of October, Governor Kim's investment attraction achievements over the past 3.5 years during his current term stand at 100 trillion 563 billion won.

He attracted 31 trillion 344 billion won in investment from 94 global companies worldwide, including ON Semiconductor from the United States, a world-leading company in non-memory power semiconductor fields, and ASM (Advanced Semiconductor Materials), a world-renowned advanced semiconductor process equipment manufacturer. Additionally, 40 trillion 9.995 billion won came from advanced industries including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix; 21 trillion 5.345 billion won from industrial complexes, self-sufficient cities, and innovation cluster development such as Pangyo Techno Valley II and Pyeongtaek Brain City; and 6 trillion 4.879 billion won from G-Funds and national R&D.;

To achieve these results, Governor Kim Dong-yeon conducted global sales efforts over the past three years by directly meeting with company executives at home and abroad to explain Gyeonggi Province's high investment value. The total flight distance reached 206,695 km, equivalent to five circumferences of the Earth.

Gyeonggi Province and its subordinate public institutions worked together to implement comprehensive investment attraction strategies, moving beyond the existing focus on foreign capital to include domestic and international companies, policy funds, and Techno Valley development.

A renowned American company chairman responded to Governor Kim's sincere sales efforts by expressing an intention to invest "No Limit," and actually signed a large-scale investment memorandum of understanding.

Corporate executives who have committed to investing in Gyeonggi Province unanimously state, "We made investment decisions due to excellent talent, accessibility to major clients, and the local government's active support commitment."

Kim Woo-gyu, CEO of Merck Korea, which has invested over 250 billion won in Gyeonggi Province to date and hired over 900 employees, contributing significantly to local job creation and economic vitalization, responded to a question about the reasons for expanding continuous investment in Gyeonggi Province by stating, "With a communication system closely connected from the investment department to the provincial governor, I can confidently say that Gyeonggi Province is the most outstanding cooperation partner."

Merck, founded in 1952, is a global company that produces high-quality semiconductor equipment based on world-leading vacuum technology. Merck Korea, established in 1995, has been consistently investing in Gyeonggi Province since 2000, including semiconductor and display material production and research facilities in Pyeongtaek, Anseong, and Siheung, as well as six total facilities. In October last year, it opened an SOD (Semiconductor On-Dielectric) research institute in Anseong specializing in pre-processing products for semiconductor wiring processes.

Kim Jae-won, CEO of Entegris Korea, stated regarding the reasons for investing in Gyeonggi Province, "Gyeonggi Province's business-friendly policies and swift administrative support have greatly helped efficiently and smoothly resolve regulatory and business operational issues." He added, "The world-class semiconductor cluster being developed by Gyeonggi Province and the solid industrial ecosystem for manufacturing and technological innovation align with Entegris' investment direction and business objectives."

Entegris, headquartered in Massachusetts, USA, is a semiconductor comprehensive solutions company providing advanced materials and process solutions for advanced industries including semiconductors and life sciences. It established its headquarters and research institute in Suwon in 2012 and operates plants in Hwaseong Jangan and Pyeongtaek Oseong. In July last year, it established the Korea Technology Center (KTC) within Hanyang University ERICA Campus in Ansan, providing R&D;, analytical services, and process demonstrations.

Entegris' investment in Gyeonggi Province to date amounts to 147 billion won, and it employs over 400 people in the region. The company is known to be planning an additional investment of approximately 50 million dollars in Gyeonggi Province.

Choi Seung-soo, CEO of Korea ULVAC, also stated that Gyeonggi Province is the most ideal partner for Korea ULVAC to secure global competitiveness and achieve sustainable growth.

CEO Choi said, "World-renowned IT companies and advanced manufacturing infrastructure are concentrated here, and major clients such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are located in the province, which makes it possible to maximize technological synergy," first highlighting the environmental aspects.

CEO Choi continued, "It was possible to successfully establish the Pyeongtaek Technology Center last year thanks to Gyeonggi Province's active investment attraction efforts and administrative support in both tangible and intangible ways. The provincial government listened to companies' requirements and did not hesitate to provide necessary administrative support such as simplification of approval procedures," explaining the province's role.

The Japan ULVAC Group, founded in 1952, is a company that manufactures high-quality semiconductor equipment based on world-leading vacuum technology. Korea ULVAC, established in 1995, has invested a total of 110 million dollars in Gyeonggi Province since 2000, including seven equipment manufacturing facilities and design offices in Pyeongtaek and Paju, as well as a technology center.