Overview
- Presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-joon said moving companies in the Yongin complex is not being considered and the government will not force relocations.
- People Power Party chair Jang Dong-hyeok, visiting the site, called relocation rhetoric election-driven and warned it would unsettle a core national project.
- SK hynix has begun building its first Yongin fab with operations targeted next year, while Samsung plans to start construction later this year and aims for mass production in 2030, with the complex planned to include 10 fabs.
- The debate intensified after Climate Minister Kim Sung-hwan said firms should go where electricity is abundant, pointing to Saemangeum’s renewable-focused plans.
- Energy analysts cite official data showing renewables alone cannot meet fabs’ round-the-clock loads, noting North Jeolla’s 2024 generation of 15,878 GWh versus South Chungcheong’s 103,618 GWh, as some local figures shift toward long-term capacity building in Saemangeum.