Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said he "agrees in broad terms" with the argument that semiconductor fabs (manufacturing facilities) being built in the capital region should be distributed to other regions.
Kim answered this way when People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Young-ha said during a government question session at the National Assembly on the 6th that "some of the semiconductor fabs being pushed in the capital region should be distributed to other regions." He added, however, that "when it comes to plans already secured, it is an area for corporations to judge, so the decision is up to corporations."
Kim said, "As for parts that are newly (pursued), not only the government but most of the public would want corporations to consider the overall (situation)."
He also expressed agreement on the potential for future water and power shortages at the Yongin semiconductor cluster and elsewhere. In response to Yoo's point, he said it was "worth listening to" and that "in the long term it will increasingly become a problem."
In response to a question from Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lee Un-ju asking about the review status of crude oil imports via the Red Sea, he said, "There must be a premise that safety is guaranteed. We need to make a comprehensive judgment on various security circumstances, and link it with the judgments of the related shipping companies," adding, "We are continuing to closely review various scenarios."
Regarding People Power Party lawmaker Park Soo-young's point about the problem of a strong dollar-won exchange rate, he said, "Since the new administration took office there have been relatively several positive trends in (economic) indicators, but the most burdensome indicator is the exchange rate."
He added, "Given the fundamentals of the Korean economy, there are aspects that make the rising exchange rate odd, so we are watching humbly and monitoring supply and demand conditions."