President Lee Jae-myung met Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong at the Blue House on the 25th to discuss investment plans, including building a semiconductor cluster in the Honam region. On the 19th, Lee met SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won at the Blue House. With a public-private joint meeting expected on the 29th to discuss achieving balanced national development across regions, Lee is seen as meeting the heads of the business community in succession.
At the public-private joint meeting, investment plans by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix in the Honam and Chungcheong regions, including creating a Honam semiconductor cluster, are expected to be unveiled. The industry expects the two groups to build an artificial intelligence (AI) industrial ecosystem in the Honam and Chungcheong regions, including semiconductor clusters and renewable energy infrastructure.
The meeting between the president and the chairman was reported to have lasted about one hour in the afternoon.
The government is currently pushing a balanced national development strategy of "5 poles and 3 specials" (five mega-regions and three special self-governing provinces) and building a southern semiconductor belt. The special act on strengthening competitiveness and support for the semiconductor industry (semiconductor special act), scheduled to take effect in Aug., also includes support measures for semiconductor clusters and special permitting provisions that consider balanced regional development.
Presidential Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom said on the 24th regarding plans to create regional semiconductor clusters, "We are approaching the final stage of discussions," and added, "Once finalized, we will arrange a session where corporations and ministries gather to brief the public at once." In his first-anniversary press conference, President Lee also said, "We will soon unveil large-scale investment projects that will bring about a major shift in our growth strategy."
In the industry, there is also speculation that Chairman Chey Tae-won will visit Gwangju on the 30th, followed by Chairman Lee Jae-yong visiting Asan, South Chungcheong, on the 2nd of next month to present plans to establish semiconductor and AI data centers.