Samsung Electronics and SK hynix will invest 800 trillion won to build four semiconductor fabs on the roughly 8.2 million-square-meter site of Gwangju Military Airport. After hearing from the companies and others on the 6th, the government decided to designate the Gwangju Military Airport site as the location for the Honam Semiconductor Cluster. President Lee said, in particular, that he wanted all procedures to move in parallel unless they were illegal, including permits and approvals, so that no time would be wasted on red tape. ■ Both Samsung and SK hynix to Set Up Operations in Gwangju At a briefing and Q&A session on the mega-project public-private joint review meeting held at the Chunchugwan Press Center at the Blue House, Kang Hoon-sik, Chief of Staff to the President, was asked whether both Samsung Electronics and SK hynix would move into the Gwangju Military Airport site. He replied, "It is naturally being discussed on the premise that both will come in." As the government has selected Gwangju Military Airport as the site for the Honam Semiconductor Cluster, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are also expected to speed up their fab construction projects in Gwangju. The memory chip makers had reportedly conducted site inspections in Muan County, South Jeolla Province, and Haenam County, but concluded that coastal areas were unsuitable for semiconductor plants because of issues such as humidity and salt. Gwangju Advanced Industrial Complex 3 was also said to have been ruled out because the site was too small for production lines. Kang said the reason Gwangju Military Airport was chosen for the Honam Semiconductor Cluster was that the site had already been leveled, which would shorten construction time, and that it had strong access to transportation infrastructure such as a KTX station. He also pointed to excellent logistics access through roads, airports, and ports. He stressed that, because it is state-owned land, the risk involved in securing a large site is low. "If it is a military airport, the issue of land acquisition changes completely," he said. "The fact that acquisition procedures and several other steps can be moved up was confirmed today." He also appeared to take into account cases such as the general industrial complex in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, where construction did not begin until February last year, six years after the site was finalized in 2019 because land compensation talks dragged on. Earlier in the day, President Lee also told the mega-project public-private joint review meeting at the Blue House, "When you look at the land acquisition process, you go through negotiated acquisition procedures, and if there are holdouts or land speculators, a huge amount of time is spent on negotiations. Only at the very end do you finally begin compulsory acquisition procedures." He added, "I want negotiated acquisition and compulsory acquisition procedures to begin at the same time." The Blue House also decided to move up the overall schedule for the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster as much as possible, from land compensation to power and water supply, so that the originally planned investment in 10 fabs can proceed much faster. ■ Lee Pushes Three Major Mega-Projects at Full Speed At the mega-project public-private joint review meeting, President Lee said, "We are in a full-scale competition with the fate of the nation at stake, and in this situation, it seems to come down to who secures the lead faster and who moves more quickly." He called for a faster pace. He also emphasized, "The administrative procedures are especially the problem, and there must never be any delay in investment execution because of administrative delays." On environmental impact assessments, he said they are "necessary," but added, "If it is the same area, is there really a need to do it again? If there is already an existing assessment, it is important to use those results. Even if a new assessment is required, the period needs to be drastically shortened." He also stressed the need to secure power and water in advance. "Rather than waiting until all other procedures are finished, it would be better to secure them proactively on the assumption that they will be approved," he said. "Power will be especially important, and the fastest possible resolution is what matters most." He also said, "There is plenty of renewable energy, but if there are concerns that baseload power may become a problem, I hope those concerns can be addressed in advance as well." He also asked local governments to carry out administration with greater speed. Choi Jong-geun, Jo Eun-hyo, Seong Seok-woo