Contractor selection process sharply streamlined

Preliminary work to begin in September

An aerial view of the Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex, reflecting the land-use plan. [Korea Land and Housing Corporation]
An aerial view of the Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex, reflecting the land-use plan. [Korea Land and Housing Corporation]

Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) announced Tuesday that it will break ground on the first construction zone of the Yongin semiconductor complex in October.

The Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex is a large-scale project set to concentrate six semiconductor fabrication plants, materials and components suppliers, three power generation facilities and industrial gas supply infrastructure on a roughly 7.78 million-square-meter site in Cheoin-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

Since LH President Lee Seong-hun took office in July, the corporation has been working to shorten project timelines and run procedures in parallel to meet its goal of breaking ground on the first semiconductor fab by 2028. It holds weekly progress meetings chaired by the CEO to identify tasks where schedules can be compressed, accelerating the project across the board.

LH has also streamlined its bidding and evaluation process. It moved the bid opening date forward to Sept. 23 and reduced the time required for business plan reviews, locking in the October ground-breaking schedule. At a site briefing held Aug. 18, LH asked prospective bidders to propose effective measures to accelerate construction timelines and said it would factor those proposals into its evaluation.

Land compensation is also on track. The process, which began in late December last year, has covered 99 percent of the total private land subject to compensation — including priority zones earmarked for key facilities such as power plants — within seven months of launch, with 43 percent completed through negotiated acquisition and 56 percent through eminent domain applications. LH plans to work with the government to shorten the eminent domain process and wrap up all compensation by year's end.

In addition, LH will launch preliminary work this month — including tree clearing, cultural heritage surveys and removal of obstacles — to ensure the October ground-breaking proceeds without a hitch.

"The early ground-breaking for the complex site is an achievement made possible by overhauling established work practices and procedures," LH President Lee Seong-hun said. "We will run procedures in parallel and cut lead times to complete the complex ahead of schedule, providing strong support for the government's three mega-projects."

Meanwhile, LH awarded the first construction zone contract for the Yongin Advanced System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex in July. The contract is valued at 1.09 trillion won ($789 million). Zone 1, covering roughly 3.45 million square meters — nearly half the total complex site — includes the land designated for the first semiconductor fab.


hwshin@heraldcorp.com