Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon on the 26th, regarding the Blue House–led plan for Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to invest around 400 trillion won in the Honam region's semiconductor sector, said, "If the president pressures the chiefs and they decide, do they have to say 'yes' and follow?" adding it is no different from Park Geun-hye's "Mir and K-Sports Foundation case." At the time, there was talk that the government pressured major corporations to establish cultural foundations and "forcibly raised" at least 77 billion won, and the controversy became the trigger for the 2016 state capture scandal.
Han wrote on Facebook that day, "The (planned for Honam) second semiconductor cluster by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix makes one question where the Lee Jae-myung administration's true intent lay in pushing through the Commercial Act revision under the pretext of protecting small shareholders."
Han said, "The Lee Jae-myung administration is summoning the chiefs of Samsung and SK in a row to use them as bullets for the Myeongcheongdaejeon party convention, pressuring them to build a semiconductor cluster in Honam," adding, "If chiefs who succumb to coercion say 'we will,' the government will say the corporations 'voluntarily' decided to invest in response to government policy."
Han raised the issue, asking, "Is this any different from saying corporations 'voluntarily' paid contributions in the Mir and K-Sports Foundation case, which helped bring down the Park Geun-hye administration?" He also said, "Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are flagship listed corporations directly held by millions of domestic individual investors," adding, "Will shareholders agree? If only the chiefs, who fear power and have much at stake, are pressured to decide, do shareholders have to just follow?"
◇ Blue House says "balanced regional development"… Samsung and SK to likely announce 400 trillion won investment plan
The Blue House will hold the "National briefing on the three mega projects for Korea's great leap" on the 29th and announce local investment plans by major corporations such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. With President Lee Jae-myung having declared "balanced regional development" as a core state agenda from early in the term, the Blue House's plan is to have corporations invest in provinces such as the Honam region, which have advantages over the capital area in power and water supply, while the government provides comprehensive support including tax measures. In business circles, there is also a projection that Samsung Electronics will invest a total of 1,000 trillion won over the next 10 years.
Regarding this, Han said, "Considering the National Pension Service's holdings of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix (an appraised value of 260 trillion won as of last month), this kind of act inflicts enormous damage on our people, especially the entire future generation." He added, "The boards and directors of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have a duty and responsibility to decide for the majority shareholders and the future of the corporations. For the majority shareholders, they must oppose the Lee Jae-myung administration's coercion."