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Regional semiconductor plan draws scrutiny
South Korean lawmakers clashed Monday during a National Assembly audit of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, disputing government plans for a semiconductor cluster in the country’s southwestern Honam region and proposed investments in the United States.
Members of the opposition People Power Party accused the government of concentrating projects and public funding in Honam, a traditional political stronghold of the ruling Democratic Party. Rep. Cho Ji-yeon said more than 1 trillion won of roughly 3 trillion won allocated for three major projects would go toward the Honam semiconductor initiative, compared with about 14.8 billion won for semiconductor programs in Daegu and North Gyeongsang province. She argued that the spending plan amounted to a strategy for growth centered on Honam.
People Power Party lawmakers also questioned the scale and feasibility of the broader proposal. Rep. Yoon Han-hong said an announcement that 600 trillion won, or about $800 billion, would be invested in Honam could intensify U.S. pressure on South Korea at a time when planned Korean investment in the United States totals $200 billion. Rep. Park Sung-min called the project unrealistic, saying it faced numerous potential obstacles.
Democratic Party lawmakers said companies, rather than the government, had selected the southwest because it could provide the water and electricity needed for chip production. Rep. Park Hee-seung said only 80,000 metric tons of additional water capacity would remain after all planned semiconductor fabrication plants in Yongin are completed. Rep. Song Jae-bong said the government had not directed companies on how much to invest or where to build, noting that semiconductor fabrication, packaging and supplier projects were underway across the country.
The dispute extended to Choi Seung-ho, a Samsung Electronics union leader appearing as a witness. Choi had previously suggested in comments to a news outlet that the company also viewed the Honam project as burdensome. Democratic Party Rep. Jeong Jin-wook challenged that characterization and asked whether the union opposed balanced regional development. Yoon, while acknowledging potential benefits from the Honam plan, accused Democrats of changing their position on nuclear power and dams when regional interests were at stake.
Alaska LNG plan adds a U.S. dimension
Lawmakers also argued over possible South Korean participation in an Alaska liquefied natural gas development project. People Power Party Rep. Choi Soo-jin said South Korean governments had declined to pursue the project for four decades because it lacked economic viability. She criticized the negotiations as an unprecedented trade failure, saying President Donald Trump was promoting a $50 billion South Korean investment as finalized.
Jeong defended Trade Minister Kim Jung-kwan, saying he was protecting South Korea’s interests in negotiations with Washington. Jeong compared Kim to Seo Hui, a celebrated Korean diplomat and military commander remembered for securing territory through negotiations.
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