Kang Ki-jung steps down Tuesday, opposes creation of Gwangju administrative office
"A full package of semiconductor operations is expected to come to the Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City," Gwangju Mayor Kang Ki-jung said.
Kang, who steps down Tuesday, laid out his positions on attracting the semiconductor industry to the South Jeolla Province-Gwangju region, the main office location dispute, and the proposed creation of a new Gwangju administrative office.
Speaking Wednesday, Kang said his four years as an elected mayor "were turbulent — marked by martial law, drought and extreme rainfall — but we achieved results in attracting AI, future mobility and semiconductors." He added that if a semiconductor factory is established, the South Jeolla Province-Gwangju region "will be the only area in the country with a complete cycle — fabless design, foundry and back-end processing."
On energy and water supply, Kang said power would not be a problem given the Hanbit nuclear power plant and the expansion of solar and other clean energy facilities in the region, but that water supply solutions still needed to be found. "We need to carefully examine whether water from Juam Dam and the Seomjin River can be used," he said.
"If a semiconductor factory comes to Gwangju, the South Jeolla Province-Gwangju region will become a city of hope," Kang said. "The merger is what made it possible to attract this industry."
Kang also voiced opposition to the proposed creation of a "Gwangju administrative office."
"The moment you establish an administrative office to oversee the five autonomous districts, appointed civil servants will end up controlling elected officials," he said, warning it would become what district mayors-elect have called "a roof on top of a roof" — an unnecessary extra layer of bureaucracy.
On the main office address dispute, Kang said the issue was an administrative matter that had been unnecessarily politicized. "It could have been resolved if there had been a prior effort to persuade local politicians by leading with what the special act already stipulates — that there is no single main office and that three locations will be used equally," he said.
sij@heraldcorp.com
