President Lee Jae-myung stated on the 30th regarding the three mega-projects announced that "while it is true that investment in the Honam region is somewhat larger, when comparing the cumulative investment historically, it is merely a drop in the bucket, and I hope everyone understands this," urging the political circle for broad cooperation.
At the 28th Cabinet meeting combined with the 13th Emergency Economic Review meeting held that morning, President Lee mentioned the massive investment plans by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix for the Honam semiconductor cluster announced the previous day (29th), pointing out, "There seem to be some who are talking about regional discrimination regarding this."
The president said, "Looking at data, it seems the population of the Yeongnam region is about 13 million, while Honam is about 5 million. After liberation, the Honam population was much larger. In any case, it is a painful past that remains in the results of reality; it is a clear fact that there was discrimination between Yeongnam and Honam (in the past)." He added, "That said, it was not possible to forcibly correct it, but now a new environment has created a situation that can somewhat alleviate that imbalance."
President Lee explained, "Honam has suffered many difficulties through exclusion and discrimination, but this has become an opportunity for a crisis to turn into a blessing. Because it was neglected and left out of development for a long time, water supply, electricity, land, and soil have been well-managed. Now, for high-tech industries, especially semiconductor-related industries, electricity, water, and land have become the most important factors."
He continued, "In the metropolitan area, it is no longer possible to secure electricity and water, and even current plans are difficult to handle, requiring special measures. Fortunately, due to the AI craze, large-scale investment is needed, and Honam happened to have available space, leading to this decision."
The president urged, "Please understand that this investment is a very fortunate result for the overall development of South Korea and for balanced national development, which is crucial for the country's future."
President Lee also expressed gratitude to business leaders at the meeting. "Above all, I thank the business leaders who made bold decisions for the great leap of South Korea. I promise once again that the South Korean government will actively support your decision to choose the future of our homeland, not overseas, so that it does not become a wrong decision."
He added, "All government ministries should provide proactive and full support based on close cooperation with local governments to ensure there are no difficulties in the investment activities of the companies that made this decision."
Furthermore, he said, "I also ask for broad cooperation from the political circle. I request that you join forces with the companies that have taken on challenges with life-or-death determination for the future of South Korea and with the government's efforts."
