Why the Yongin Semiconductor Industrial Complex is Crucial for South Korea’s Tech Future

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Lawmakers from both parties on the Yongin Special City Council in Gyeonggi Province spoke with one voice on March 16, urging that the Yongin semiconductor industrial complex — currently at the center of a relocation dispute — move forward as planned.

Im Hyun-soo, the Democratic Party’s lead councilor, used his floor speech during the first plenary session of the 301st extraordinary meeting to call for steady, uninterrupted progress on the Yongin semiconductor complex.

Im said, \”Building the Yongin semiconductor industrial complex is not merely local development; it is a central pillar of South Korea’s semiconductor competitiveness and its future industrial strategy. It must not falter and must proceed without setbacks.\”

He urged the national government, Gyeonggi Province and Yongin City to coordinate on medium- and long-term plans to resolve infrastructure needs — including power, water, transportation and housing — and to invest in developing semiconductor talent.

Kim Young-sik, the People Power Party’s lead councilor, also voiced concern about proposals to reconsider or relocate the Yongin advanced system semiconductor national industrial complex, and he urged a consistent, uninterrupted commitment to the project.

Kim criticized opposition to constructing transmission lines and proposals to prioritize moving the complex to areas relying mainly on renewable energy, saying those positions do not account for the technical demands of semiconductor manufacturing.

He warned, \”Semiconductor production is an ultra-precise industry in which even small voltage drops can cause substantial losses. A stable, around-the-clock baseload power supply is essential. The intermittency of weather-dependent renewable energy alone cannot reliably sustain advanced fabs.\”

Kim said officials should concentrate on practical, effective power solutions — such as building an \”energy highway\” to link regional generation to the Seoul metropolitan area — rather than reopening the relocation debate.

He pledged, \”With the urgent conviction that ‘time equals subsidy,’ I will make sure the Yongin national semiconductor complex is completed without wavering.\”