Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il: "Central Government Must Step Forward to Supply Power and Water to Samsung and SK Hynix Semiconductor Industrial Complexes"

On the 26th, Yongin Mayor Lee Sang-il emphasized that the central government must proceed without delay in supplying electricity and water in a timely manner to successfully operate the Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex (Samsung Electronics) in Ichon and Nam-sa districts of Choin-gu and the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster General Industrial Complex (SK Hynix) in Won-sam district.

Mayor Lee attended the '9th Good City Forum 2026' held at Ferrum Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul, where he delivered a keynote address titled 'The Future Drawn by Yongin Renaissance 2.0'.

Mayor Lee stated, "Site development for the Samsung Electronics National Industrial Complex has been delayed more than six months due to obstruction by certain factions and groups opposing power transmission." He added, "In this situation, Samsung Electronics has accelerated the operation schedule for the first fab from the second half of 2030 to the second half of 2029, so we must now expedite site development so that fab construction can begin in the second half of next year."

He continued, "The power supply for fabs 1 and 2 is planned to be supplied through construction of an LNG power plant within the national industrial complex, so the central government must make efforts to ensure this proceeds smoothly. Regarding water supply from Paldang Dam, some neighboring cities are opposing the burial of pipelines, so the central government and Gyeonggi Province must resolve this issue," he emphasized.

Mayor Lee also stated, "Regarding construction of Samsung Electronics fabs 3, 4, 5, 6 and SK Hynix fabs 3, 4, the central government must resolve power transmission issues promptly by persuading groups opposing power transmission to Yongin, so that these fabs can operate ahead of schedule as planned. Additionally, the central government must ensure that the second phase water supply from Paldang Dam necessary for operating these six fabs proceeds without any disruption to the plan."

Mayor Lee said, "Yongin Special City achieved approval for preliminary feasibility study exemption, expanded capital gains tax reduction for relocated residents, expanded land replacement compensation, and provision of relocation housing and exclusive industrial parks for relocated companies during the previous administration's support for successful site development of the Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex." He added, "Now the current government must play an active role in resolving remaining issues such as power and water supply."

Mayor Lee stated, "A plan to develop national industrial complexes in 15 cities nationwide including Yongin was announced on March 15, 2023, but approval for industrial complex planning has only been granted to Yongin so far." He advised, "The candidate sites for national industrial complexes in the other 14 cities are also very important for this nation and regional economies, so the current government must pay active attention to them."

Mayor Lee said, "From the announcement of the national industrial complex development plan in March 2023 until December 2024 before the current government took office, the previous administration held seven pan-government steering committee meetings under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to review the national industrial complex project. However, more than one year and three months after taking office, the current government has not held a single review meeting." He continued, "The government must inspect the progress not only in Yongin but also in the other 14 regions, listen to local opinions, and make active support efforts."

Mayor Lee stated, "The reason Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are leading, competing for the top one or two positions globally, is because numerous small and medium-sized parts and materials suppliers are concentrated around these anchor enterprises. When small and medium-sized suppliers are located within about an hour's drive from anchor company fabs, the ecosystem's competitiveness is partly derived from proximity, as issues arising during semiconductor production can be addressed immediately," he said.

Mayor Lee concluded, "Yongin's semiconductor project is directly connected to Yongin's future but is also a task for the Republic of Korea. I hope everyone will join forces to make these projects successful. Yongin City will provide sufficient administrative support as needed and will actively cooperate with the central government and related organizations such as Korea Land and Housing Corporation."