PPP calls it 'abuse of power'; Democratic Party fires back over 'false claims'

SK hynix headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. [Yonhap]
SK hynix headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. [Yonhap]

The ruling and opposition parties traded sharp accusations Friday over reports that Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are considering large-scale investments in the Honam region of southwestern Korea.

The opposition People Power Party argued that Honam — a traditional stronghold of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea — lacks the infrastructure needed to host a semiconductor cluster, and suggested the companies may be acting under government pressure.

The Democratic Party pushed back, saying any investment would reflect the companies' own decisions, and dismissed the PPP's claims as politically motivated smears.

PPP chief spokesperson Park Sung-hoon criticized President Lee Jae Myung's assertion that Honam has water resources comparable to those of the Yeongnam region and the Greater Seoul area, calling it "a unilateral declaration unsupported by scientific evidence."

Park added that media reports suggest the government is even considering tapping agricultural reservoirs to meet water demand. "The semiconductor industry, a matter of national importance for generations to come, must not become a tool of political propaganda," he said.

Former PPP lawmaker Yoo Seong-min also weighed in, questioning why the president had spoken only about water supply without addressing power, workforce, land or materials. "If the semiconductor factories of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix — which every region desperately wants to attract — end up in Honam without any rational justification or fair competition, the political and economic fallout will be impossible to contain," he said.

Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon joined the criticism on Facebook, asking who would benefit from building semiconductor factories in an area with chronic water shortages. "We must stop the Lee Jae Myung administration from killing the goose that lays the golden eggs," he wrote.

PPP lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo wrote Friday that "with the president and Cheong Wa Dae leading the charge and the Democratic Party egging them on from behind, a colossal semiconductor infrastructure worth 400 trillion won ($259 billion) is simply being dropped into one region." He called it "a clear abuse of power" for the presidential office to designate a specific region and demand investment using private corporate capital — an amount exceeding half of South Korea's annual national budget — without any legal basis or government funding.

Democratic Party floor spokesperson Lee Ju-hee said in a statement that the two companies' consideration of a Honam semiconductor cluster "is the result of their response to the government's policy direction aimed at overcoming regional decline and enhancing the competitiveness of the nation's advanced industries," adding that the president had not twisted anyone's arm to force the investment.

Responding to Ahn's remarks, Lee warned that the party would immediately file a complaint against him on charges of spreading false information and defamation, and criticized him for "reducing the critical task of balanced national development to a tool of political conflict."

Lee said it was "absurd and illogical" to equate normal governance in the national interest with the illegal coercion of corporate donations seen during the past state affairs scandal. She said spreading smears with crude language "is an irresponsible and unlawful act that could dampen companies' willingness to invest and cause serious harm to the national economy and community."

Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Geon-tae also wrote on Facebook that it was "utterly absurd" to liken investment in advanced industries for balanced national development — pursued through cooperation between business and government — to the Mir and K-Sports foundations scandal of the Park Geun-hye administration.

He added that "the Honam semiconductor cluster is not a project for a specific region but a national strategy for the future of South Korea," and said that "turning even this into fodder for political conflict is not just irresponsible — it is an act that blocks the future."

Lawmaker Yoon Jun-byeong wrote on Facebook that Samsung Electronics and SK hynix "are not foolish enough to plan the construction of massive factories in a region with insufficient water — an essential element of semiconductor production — without due consideration," and insisted that Honam has ample water resources on par with Yeongnam and the Greater Seoul area, with the capacity to supply up to one million tons of industrial water per day.


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