The People Power Party on the 29th strongly criticized the plan to create a Honam semiconductor cluster that is set to be announced at the Blue House.
Floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik criticized at the supreme council meeting that morning, saying, "The very fact that two competing conglomerates simultaneously announce large-scale investment plans at the same site indicates a forced decision driven by government control and intervention."
Jeong added, "You need to understand that the reason controversy erupted over creating a Gwangju–South Jeolla semiconductor cluster is transparency, fairness, and objectivity," and "In a situation where every region across the country is competing to attract semiconductor plants, the question is whether, under corporations' autonomous judgment, the site evaluation was conducted fairly and objectively."
Supreme council member Shin Dong-wook also said, "By whose judgment was it decided that Gwangju–South Jeolla is the optimal site for semiconductor investments worth thousands of trillions?" and "I believe a National Assembly-level investigation into the government's decision is essential." Shin said, "Multiple reports state that Gwangju–South Jeolla lacks water, and they say the Yeongsan River weir will be dismantled," and "President Lee Jae-myung says without any basis that Gwangju–South Jeolla has sufficient water."
Supreme council member Yang Hyang-ja, a former executive in the Samsung Electronics semiconductor division, also said, "Semiconductor investment should be a strategy, not a gift, and an industrial inevitability, not political consideration," adding, "Semiconductors remain the most certain path for Korea to lead the world. Neither regions, factions, nor ideology can come before Korea's future."
Supreme council member Kim Jae-won, whose constituency is in the TK region, said, "The other day, the Gumi mayor declared that the optimal site to simultaneously advance Korea's semiconductor industry competitiveness and balanced national development is Gumi, North Gyeongsang, and said he would supply 8.2 million pyeong of industrial land in phase 2 of the Gumi National Industrial Complex 5 at 1,000 won per pyeong," adding, "Gumi made such a drastic offer because the government is politically pushing semiconductors into Gwangju–South Jeolla, where infrastructure is not properly in place, sidelining Gumi, a special semiconductor zone."
Kim said, "People now think this announcement is an attempt to win over Honam public sentiment to oust party leader Jung Chung-rae, who is engaged in a power struggle," adding, "If, in trying to take down Jung Chung-rae, they end up taking down semiconductors, what kind of mess would that be?"