Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are reviewing ways to expand semiconductor cluster investments in the Honam region, including Gwangju and South Jeolla, and in the Chungcheong region. Investment on the scale of hundreds of trillions of won is being discussed.
According to the business community on the 23rd, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are fine-tuning details to announce a large-scale regional investment plan, including this content, at a public-private joint meeting on "national land spatial transformation (balanced national development)" to be chaired by President Lee Jae-myung at the Blue House at the end of this month.
The two companies are said to be considering a plan to build both memory semiconductor production plants (front-end) and packaging plants (back-end) in the semiconductor clusters to be built in Honam and Chungcheong.
Initially, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix were expected to focus investment on the back-end, but as a plan including the front-end is being discussed, there is speculation that the investment scale could expand.
Given that the expense to build one semiconductor fab (plant) reaches at least 60 trillion won, there is a view that the investment scale by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix could reach 300 trillion to 400 trillion won.
To discuss specific investment measures and plans, the president will meet Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong on the 25th. The president is said to have met SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won on the 19th.
The government is pursuing the "5 poles, 3 specials (five mega-regions and three special self-governing provinces)" national balanced development strategy and the establishment of a southern-region semiconductor belt. In a press conference marking the first anniversary of taking office recently, the president said, "We will move toward becoming a world-leading industrial power with an overwhelming edge, where all people and all parts of the nation share equally in the opportunities and benefits of growth," adding, "We will soon present to the public a large-scale investment project that will bring about a major shift in our growth strategy."