President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a ministry briefing held at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a ministry briefing held at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung pushed back Thursday against politicians raising claims that North Jeolla Province has been sidelined, saying those who stoke grievances over the 800 trillion won ($537 billion) Honam semiconductor investment are only making things worse.

Lee made the remarks during the second round of government ministry briefings at Cheong Wa Dae, while receiving a report from the Saemangeum Development Agency. "This investment is a recruitment achievement the government worked extremely hard to secure, and it is in effect one of the largest projects with the best outlook," he said.

In February, Hyundai Motor Group announced plans to invest 9 trillion won in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, to build advanced industrial infrastructure, including eco-friendly energy facilities.

But after Cheong Wa Dae spearheaded the announcement late last month of an 800 trillion won semiconductor cluster in Gwangju involving Samsung Electronics and SK Group, some in political circles began arguing that North Jeolla had been left out.

Lee said the decisions by Samsung and SK were driven by economic logic and represented corporate commitments of the highest order. "This is not like setting up a public enterprise," he said. "You cannot just divide it up, hand one piece here, and then throw in another because someone else feels left out."

He went on to say that responsible figures making such claims were a serious problem. "Raising impossible demands that leave people feeling even more aggrieved — what kind of solution is that? That is what we call irresponsibility," he said.

Lee then turned to Saemangeum Development Agency chief Moon Seong-yo, urging him to explain the situation clearly to North Jeolla residents. "This is a recruitment achievement the government truly worked hard to bring about," he said. "It is in effect the project with the best outlook — how can anyone call it small by comparison?"


sang@heraldcorp.com