▲ The Yongin semiconductor cluster is set to bring its first fab online next February, but construction to widen the main access road has yet to begin. A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport public notice is not expected until October or later, making even a groundbreaking next year hard to guarantee. A facility to reuse treated wastewater in the Cheongju area required 15 months for a feasibility study alone, and 42 months from the launch of the project to groundbreaking. The Federation of Korean Industries on the 21st submitted 41 policy proposals related to national strategic high-tech industries, urging that "the government and the National Assembly should start by fixing the regulations that companies feel on the ground." One hopes the "early production" at the Yongin cluster that Trade and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan pledged in June does not turn out to be empty talk.
▲ President Lee Jae-myung on the 21st presented a letter of appointment to new Supreme Court Justice Kim Sung-soo, the first Supreme Court justice appointed since the Lee administration took office. Chief Justice Jo Hee-de, who has clashed with the Presidential Office over demands that he renominate a justice candidate, also attended the ceremony. The vacancy on the bench had dragged on for more than 200 days since former Justice Noh Tae-ak stepped down. The Presidential Office should leave the nomination to the Supreme Court, and Chief Justice Jo should quickly reconstitute the recommendation committee and nominate a suitable candidate. Respect for the procedures and powers set out in the Constitution would seem to be the way out of the conflict.
