Samsung Electronics reaffirmed plans to invest about 360 trillion won ($260 billion) in building a semiconductor cluster in Yongin and pledged to recycle hundreds of thousands of tons of treated wastewater a day to help improve the surrounding environment.
The company said on the 4th that it took part in the 2026 Yongin Cyber Science Festival at Yongin Mir Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, where it presented to local residents its vision for the Yongin advanced system semiconductor national industrial complex along with plans for sustainable energy and water management.
The two-day festival, held on the 3rd and the 4th, is one of Yongin's signature science and culture events, drawing 40,000 visitors a year. Samsung Electronics set up four exhibition booths to introduce the future of the national industrial complex and the surrounding community. That is twice the two booths it operated last year.
The exhibits covered three themes: the blueprint for the Yongin complex, cogeneration energy infrastructure and sustainable water management. A bird's-eye view of the complex was displayed alongside a reiteration of the plan to invest about 360 trillion won in the site. Some 70 materials, parts and equipment suppliers and fabless chip design firms are expected to move in alongside Samsung Electronics, creating about 1.6 million jobs.
The cogeneration section highlighted the community benefits and environmental advantages of the energy infrastructure being built to power chip production. Three liquefied natural gas power facilities will be constructed at the Yongin complex, supplying electricity not only to chip plants but also to local apartments, hospitals, schools, sports facilities and welfare centers. Cogeneration captures heat produced during electricity generation, raising efficiency to 80% from the 55% of an LNG combined-cycle plant.
Samsung Electronics also promised residents it would minimize the water needed for chip manufacturing and raise the share of water it recycles. The company plans to reuse hundreds of thousands of tons of treated wastewater a day from areas around Yongin, including 120,000 tons from Hwaseong, 120,000 tons from Osan and 210,000 tons from Suwon.
To publicize those efforts, the company ran a quiz event featuring Dalsoo, an otter character symbolizing the restoration of aquatic ecosystems near its facilities. Prizes included Dalsoo dolls in cleanroom suits, semiconductor pop-up books and cookies, and a photo zone with the character drew strong interest from visitors.
Separately, Samsung Electronics plans to work with the central government and local authorities to move up the start of operations at its first Yongin fab to October 2029 from the second half of 2030, about a year earlier than previously planned.
