Two weeks before the June 3 local elections, the People Power Party put forward the defense of a "semiconductor cluster" as a decisive move in the Gyeonggi governor race. As concerns rose that the Seoul metropolitan area could be excluded from the government's plan to create semiconductor clusters on the grounds of balanced regional development, the party made it a point of contention and went on the offensive against the government.
People Power Party lawmakers Song Seok-jun and Kim Yong-tae and officials from the Gyeonggi provincial party attended a joint news conference titled "Defend Gyeonggi's semiconductor industry" on the 20th in front of Government Complex Seoul at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. Hosted by the coalition to defend Gyeonggi's semiconductor industry, the news conference was followed by a visit to the Office of the Prime Minister to deliver an official position opposing clauses that exclude the Seoul metropolitan area from semiconductor clusters.
Through the news conference, the coalition said, "The clause effectively excluding the Seoul metropolitan area, including Gyeonggi Province, from the designation criteria for semiconductor clusters is a clear reverse discrimination that blocks the growth of Gyeonggi, the heart of Korea's semiconductor industry," adding, "It is a dangerous idea that, blinded by political logic, casts aside the nation's future competitiveness."
It continued, "Gyeonggi Province is a core base of Korea's semiconductor industry, centered on the 'southern Gyeonggi smart semiconductor belt' connecting Icheon, Yongin, Suwon, Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek and Anseong, where manufacturing facilities; materials, parts and equipment (So-bu-jang); research and development (R&D); high-end talent; and basic infrastructure are concentrated," stressing, "It is nonsensical to talk about the nation's future and economic security while shaking the central axis of the semiconductor ecosystem."
It added, "Major semiconductor competitors such as the United States, Taiwan and Japan are already waging a breakneck race for an overwhelming lead, providing sweeping support for infrastructure and supply chains centered on already formed industrial clusters," and criticized, "At such a grave moment, excluding Gyeonggi, one of the world's top-tier clusters, from policy targets is no different from discarding one's own weapons."
They warned, "We will never sit idle while the semiconductor industry is instrumentalized according to political interests," adding, "If our demands are not met, we will mobilize every possible means, starting with a protest visit to the Office of the Prime Minister, followed by large-scale rallies outside the National Assembly, a signature campaign among Gyeonggi residents, and joint actions with on-site labor unions in the semiconductor industry."
Earlier, the government said that the purpose of enacting the special semiconductor law was to support the entire supply chain and designate clusters in consideration of balanced regional development.
People Power Party Gyeonggi governor candidate Yang Hyang-ja also held a news conference on the 17th and said, "Gyeonggi Province is a global core base leading Korea's semiconductor industry," emphasizing, "The southern Gyeonggi smart semiconductor belt connecting Icheon, Yongin, Suwon, Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek and Anseong is a national core supply chain where manufacturing; So-bu-jang; research and development; high-end talent; and basic infrastructure are concentrated."
She went on, "The designation criteria for semiconductor clusters effectively exclude the Seoul metropolitan area, including Gyeonggi Province, from the outset. It is a dangerous idea that ignores the reality of Korea's semiconductor industry and the structure of global competition," arguing, "Balanced development should not suppress existing industrial bases but move in a direction that further advances existing bases while fostering new ones together."