Jeonbuk State Seeks Designation of Specialized Semiconductor Materials, Parts and Equipment Complex

【Financial News Jeonju=Kang In】 Jeonbuk State is joining forces with political circles, local governments and companies to secure designation as a specialized complex for semiconductor materials, parts and equipment.
According to Jeonbuk State on the 7th, it recently held a meeting with semiconductor materials, parts and equipment companies at Iksan-si City Hall, together with Han Byung-do, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. They discussed the need for the designation and ways to develop the region’s semiconductor industry.
Jeonbuk has a concentration of semiconductor materials and chemical companies, as well as production infrastructure, centered in Iksan, Saemangeum and Wanju County. Anchor companies including Dong Woo Fine-Chem, PKC, Hansol Chemical and OCI are located there. The province plans to link these assets and build an industrial ecosystem spanning research and development, demonstration and production of key materials for advanced semiconductor processes.
As semiconductor processes become finer and more advanced, the importance of key materials such as ultrapure cleaning chemicals, deposition precursors and etching gases is growing. However, companies face considerable time and cost burdens in quality and reliability verification as well as research and development. Through the designation, Jeonbuk State plans to expand joint R&D and demonstration infrastructure while supporting companies’ technology development and commercialization.
Amid a global semiconductor boom and intensifying competition among companies to develop materials and chemicals, the designation is expected to provide a foundation for turning the crisis into an opportunity. It would also help Jeonbuk State, which is geographically close to fabs in the southwestern region, establish itself firmly as a materials and chemicals hub.
If designated as a specialized complex, Jeonbuk State plans to work with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, cities and counties, and companies from 2027 to 2031. The plan includes building a shared-use test bed and demonstration infrastructure for advanced semiconductor chemicals, while pursuing R&D on next-generation key materials, company demonstrations and performance evaluations, and the training of specialized personnel.
Go Jeong-sam, Jeonbuk State Deputy Governor for Economic Affairs, said, "Jeonbuk has major companies and an industrial base in the semiconductor materials and chemicals sectors, giving it significant growth potential if these assets are organically linked." He added, "We will expand the R&D and demonstration infrastructure needed by companies and make every effort to ensure that the specialized complex designation is secured by joining forces with political circles, cities and counties, companies, universities and research institutes."


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