President Lee Jae-myung on the 16th criticized ruling party claims of a "Jeonbuk marginalization theory" over a 4,700 trillion won investment project that the government and corporations are pushing centered on the southwest, saying, "It is truly a problem when responsible people say strange things," and, "They make the situation worse by talking about something unfeasible. That is what you call irresponsible." The point was that profit-seeking corporations selected investment sites according to economic principles, but politicians are turning it into a point of contention by demanding investment in specific regions.
◇ Hyundai Motor to invest 9 trillion won in Saemangeum… Lee: "It is an enormous scale, but it is being compared with elsewhere"
In Feb. this year, Hyundai Motor Group said it would pour as much as 9 trillion won into Saemangeum in Jeonbuk to build an advanced-industry base such as eco-friendly energy infrastructure. But after Cheong Wa Dae recently announced the "three mega projects," centered on an "800 trillion won Gwangju semiconductor cluster" with Samsung Electronics and SK Group, the Democratic Party of Korea raised claims of "favors for Jeonnam and Gwangju" and "Jeonbuk marginalization." With the party's national convention set for Aug., it has emerged as a core issue in Jeolla, which has the largest number of party members, and President Lee publicly rebuked it.
At the second government ministry briefing held at Cheong Wa Dae that afternoon, after receiving a report from the Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency, President Lee said, "Hyundai Motor's investment details are in fact an enormous scale, but when elsewhere (Samsung Electronics and SK hynix) are talking about 800 trillion that is beyond imagination, there seems to be a tendency to say, 'Huh, what is this?'" He also said, "This (9 trillion won) was expected to be roughly the initial input cost, and if the project expands successfully, wouldn't that be multiplied by several tens of times here? Isn't Chairman Chung Eui-sun saying he will create the TSCM of the robotics world?"
He continued, "Ordinary citizens may say, 'Why do they (Honam) get a lot while we get only this much,' but it seems truly problematic when responsible people say strange things," adding, "Samsung or SK Group are making policy decisions with the fate of the corporations on the line, so how can you split (investments) here and split them there because someone feels slighted? That is not something you can do."
President Lee said, "Does a solution come from making people feel more slighted by talking about something unfeasible? It only makes the situation worse," adding, "The worst behavior is saying things you cannot take responsibility for just to please someone, and then creating a worse situation later." He then told Moon Seong-yo, head of the Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency, "Please explain it well to Jeonbuk," adding, "This is an attraction achievement that the government truly worked hard to produce. In fact, the outlook is the best and how big is this project, yet they say it is small (by comparison)."
◇ Rising as a ruling party convention issue… "We feel a sense of loss" vs. "Inappropriate"
The Jeonbuk State Council, led by the Democratic Party of Korea, recently expressed regret in the name of all provincial council members over Jeonbuk being left out of the "three mega projects." New Jeonbuk Gov. Lee Won-taeg said, "President Lee Jae-myung also knows well the 'triple marginalization' Jeonbuk is experiencing, especially discrimination within Honam," adding, "In that respect, this decision is very disappointing."
Party leadership contenders are also speaking about the issue publicly, amplifying it. Former leader Jung Chung-rae said at Gov. Lee's inauguration on the 1st, "When I went to greet people at Gunsan Dae Market and Jeonju Central Market, they worried, asking, 'What are we in Jeonbuk to do when there is so much investment only in Jeonnam and Gwangju?'" adding, "People told me what made them angry, and I will do my best so that they do not feel marginalized or deprived." In response, Rep. Song Young-gil said, "It is not appropriate to talk about a Jeonbuk marginalization theory, and former leader Jung Chung-rae also somewhat echoed that, but the stance of the ruling party should be to welcome the three mega projects."