Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix plan to establish a large-scale semiconductor production base in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions of southwestern South Korea [1].

The project represents a massive shift in national industrial strategy designed to drive economic revitalization and job creation in the Honam region. Local officials and residents view the investment as a critical catalyst for growth in an area that has long sought industrial modernization.

The proposed development covers a possible area of 8.2 million square meters [1]. Key sites identified for the project include the former military airport site in Gwangju, the Gwangju Advanced 3-Districts, and Haenam Solar City in Jeonnam [2].

Financial projections for the initiative are substantial, with a planned investment of 800 trillion Korean won [1]. This scale of funding is intended to build the necessary infrastructure to support high-tech chip manufacturing and associated supply chains.

Local officials have pledged their full cooperation to ensure the project's success. Min Hyung-bae said the initiative is a "national industrial strategy turning point" and promised that the government would provide "full administrative support" [1].

Residents of the region have expressed strong support for the announcement. Park Chang-sun, a citizen of Gwangju, said that the people of Gwangju and Jeonnam must unite to ensure this opportunity provides the momentum and breakthrough needed to develop the Honam region [1].

This industrial push comes as the region reflects on its history, noting it has been 40 years since the Gwangju-Jeonnam integration [2]. The current semiconductor plan is framed as the definitive step toward achieving the long-term economic goals of that integration.

“national industrial strategy turning point”

The concentration of semiconductor production in the southwest marks a strategic diversification of South Korea's tech hubs, which have historically been centered around the Seoul metropolitan area. By leveraging the 8.2 million square meter development area, the government aims to reduce regional economic disparity while securing the domestic supply chain for critical components.