"Preparations for industry, talent, and settlement must also be on a 'fast track.'"
At the "Citizens' Joint Council for Responding to Semiconductor Cluster Development" (the joint council), prepared by Gwangsan-gu of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City in line with the development of a semiconductor cluster in the Honam region, participants all called for such a "speed campaign." In particular, they expressed expectations that the situation could become an opportunity for groundbreaking change for Gwangsan-gu, as the government pushes to build a semiconductor cluster with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix on the site of the Gwangju military airport, targeting mass production in 2030.
Gwangsan-gu Mayor Park Byeong-gyu said on the 22nd, "A historic opportunity has opened to draw and design the great future of Gwangsan-gu through 800 trillion won in investment." He explained, "We held this joint council to gather the wisdom of citizens and the local community so that the Honam semiconductor cluster goes beyond being a mere industrial complex, transforming Gwangsan-gu into a city with good jobs and leading to a future everyone wants to live in."
At the joint council, held the previous day in Yun Sang-won Hall on the 7th floor of the Gwangsan-gu Office, discussions on future development strategies for Gwangsan poured out. About 50 people attended the joint council, including participants from business, labor, small business owners, education and academia, youth, and residents, as well as experts in fields such as urban planning, the environment, real estate, and housing.
Choi Hong-jin, principal of Gwangju Software Meister High School, said, "70% of our graduates find jobs in the Seoul area." He added, "We expect that the development of the semiconductor cluster will supply good jobs and create conditions for young people to settle in the region."
Jeong Seong-gu, CEO of the Urban Content Research Institute, said, "We need to analyze the impact the semiconductor cluster development will have on the city and first demand a 'spatial strategy' unique to Gwangsan-gu." He proposed, "It should be reflected in the national industrial complex development plan and prepared together as a 'package.'"
That day, various opinions were also presented on regional response tasks and ways to proactively prepare for the future, centered on industrial infrastructure, talent cultivation, mutual growth of the local economy, and improvement of settlement conditions. Experts in each field emphasized the need for the region to establish a response system equivalent to a "fast track" in order to support the government's "speed campaign."
Above all, the importance of designing preemptive blueprints for the core hinterland areas was raised, spanning from the Gwangju Songjeong Station area to the Kumho Tire Gwangju plant site and the Gwangju military airport site.
There were also arguments that institutional improvements strengthening fiscal authority, such as "conversion to city status," should take priority in order for Gwangsan-gu to effectively support the establishment of a semiconductor industry ecosystem.
At Gwangsan-gu, all employees, including Mayor Park Byeong-gyu, are waging an all-out effort across the entire organization to build the Honam semiconductor cluster. All departments plan to convert to a "semiconductor administrative system," concentrating administrative capacity on tasks such as cooperation in permit and licensing administration, discovering local proposal tasks, providing information to citizens and gathering opinions, and building linked infrastructure.
