People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers and provincial governors from the Chungcheong region criticized decisions by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to invest in semiconductor facilities in the Honam region, stressing that "industrial investment tied to national competitiveness should not be approached with political logic." As the ruling and opposition parties clashed sharply over the process behind the Honam semiconductor investment decision, the Chungcheong region joined the backlash following the TK (Daegu and North Gyeongsang) area. The PPP forcefully pressed the government and the ruling party, arguing that even basic siting conditions such as industrial water and power are not met. The Democratic Party of Korea went on the defensive, calling it "absurd fake news."
PPP lawmakers and provincial governors from the Chungcheong region held a press conference at the National Assembly's communication hall Wednesday, making such claims and saying that "the government twisted arms to force a decision that should be made by companies." Kim Young-hwan, governor of North Chungcheong Province, criticized the plan, saying, "There is no plan for securing manpower and water is also insufficient." He added, "Also, nuclear power generation is impossible on the west coast, so attempting to run a semiconductor industry on renewable energy alone is neither sensible nor scientific."
Kim Tae-heum, governor of South Chungcheong Province, took an adversarial stance, saying, "President Lee Jae-myung says that those who agree with them are Buddhas and those who oppose them are pigs." He added, "South Korea is neither a republic of South Jeolla nor a republic of the Democratic Party, and if state affairs are run in this form, it will face resistance from the people." Rep. Sung Il-jong, whose constituency is Seosan and Taean in South Chungcheong, said, "What the government should be doing now is providing infrastructure support and resolving civil complaints for the early completion of the Yongin semiconductor industrial complex, not the Honam semiconductor investment."
They particularly expressed concern that forcibly pushing a semiconductor industrial complex in Honam, which lacks industrial water, would inevitably demand sacrifices from the Chungcheong region. Governor Kim criticized the plan, saying, "(Honam's) Yeongsan River and Seomjin River are at the level of streams. Drinking water is also insufficient, so water cannot be supplied from there," adding, "Ultimately, a situation will arise where water must be drawn from the Geum River system in South Chungcheong."
The Daegu and North Gyeongsang political circle also continued its backlash, with the region's lawmakers and provincial governors holding an emergency press conference at the National Assembly and saying, "The selection of a semiconductor factory (fab) site should not be decided by political logic without an objective review of the industrial ecosystem and corporate management efficiency."
The PPP repeatedly argued for a return to square one, saying the Honam region lacks the "three core elements" — water, power, and manpower — needed for advancing the semiconductor industry. Rep. Ko Dong-jin, a former president of Samsung Electronics' mobile division (the former IM division), pointed out in a radio interview, "In terms of water, the Yeongsan River basin is short by 2.19 million tons annually," adding, "When it comes to power, the very idea of talking about RE100 (using 100% renewable energy) in advanced semiconductor processes is profoundly wrong." He stressed, "To produce the 10 gigawatts of electricity needed for Samsung Electronics' industrial complex in Yongin, solar panels would have to be laid across all of Seoul, which spans 180 million pyeong," and added, "On top of that, an energy storage system (ESS) the size of 10 soccer fields would have to be installed."
Some within the PPP even raised suspicions of real estate speculation involving the government and the ruling party. Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo of the PPP claimed, "The more the government forces the Honam semiconductor project, the more housing and land prices in nearby commercial districts and residential areas will rise vertically," and argued, "Officials of the Lee Jae-myung government, Democratic Party lawmakers, and local government heads should disclose their land holdings related to Honam."
The Democratic Party maintained a hardline response to the PPP's offensive, calling it "fake news." Han Byung-do, acting Democratic Party leader and floor leader, warned at a supreme council meeting that day, "The PPP has been raising objections by invoking outdated regionalism even before the project was announced," adding, "They distort facts with provocative words like state-controlled administration or 'twisting companies' arms.' The Democratic Party will respond without tolerance to malicious smear campaigns."
Regarding the PPP's claims of water and power shortages, Rep. Im Mun-young of the Democratic Party, representing Gwangsan-eul in Gwangju, rebutted, "The seven dams in the Seomjin River and Yeongsan River basins hold more than 1.5 billion tons of water," adding, "What matters is recycling technology and the technology to manage and purify water when extreme flow variations such as droughts and floods occur — the problem is not a lack of water itself." On the power issue, he said, "Leading global companies have no choice but to move toward renewable energy. It is important that renewable energy becomes the foundation and that various energy sources are mixed."
