Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City is accelerating efforts to build a "global semiconductor mecca." The strategy is to nurture the semiconductor industry as a core growth engine for the integrated special city, capitalizing on Samsung Electronics and SK hynix's 800 trillion won semiconductor cluster in the Honam region. Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, which achieved administrative integration after 40 years, plan to redraw their industrial map on the back of semiconductors and present a new model for balanced national development.
In a recent interview with Seoul Economic Daily, Min Hyung-bae, mayor of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, said, "The semiconductor industry ultimately comes down to speed as competitiveness." He added, "We will build a responsible management system for each area — power, water, sites, talent and settlement conditions — to accelerate this speed race even further."
Min was elected the first mayor of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City in the June 3 local elections. As the first leader to take office after the Gwangju-South Jeolla integration, he has made the semiconductor industry a core growth engine for the integrated special city and is pursuing related policies as his top priority.
Min repeatedly emphasized "speed" as the key to the project's success. "If the semiconductor cluster targets mass production in 2030, we must prepare by working backward from now through every step," he stressed. "We will check foreseeable risks in advance and resolve them one by one to reach the target on time without setbacks."
Upon taking office, Min directed the preparation of semiconductor industry support measures as a key task. His judgment was that a new growth engine was needed as Gwangju and South Jeolla achieved administrative integration after 40 years, with the semiconductor industry at its center.
He also presented a blueprint to build a "semiconductor circular ecosystem" connecting research and development (R&D), talent cultivation and partner companies around the production facilities being built by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, creating a new axis for balanced national development. Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City is also pushing to build a "South Jeolla-Gwangju Semiconductor Triangle" that organically connects production bases, research and education, and corporate support infrastructure. Through this, it expects to create 20,000 jobs annually, generate 540 trillion won in added value and induce 1,680 trillion won in production. This vision is also aligned with the government's semiconductor promotion stance.
The project has gained momentum since Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff to the president, said last month that the government would "push to complete the cluster within the government's term." Min said, "Only when the central government, local governments and companies share the same goal can the schedule be moved up." He added, "The integrated special city will take responsibility for administrative support and cooperate closely with the government."
To push the project forward, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City recently launched the "Jeonnam-Gwangju Semiconductor Industry Support Group." The support group is a dedicated organization that oversees consultations among government ministries, the National Assembly and companies, and supports the construction of core infrastructure such as sites, power and water. Min explained that the support group will serve as a control tower overseeing the entire project. "We plan to operate the project under a responsible management system by field — power, water, sites and talent," he said. "The support group will serve as the control tower to shorten administrative procedures as much as possible and preemptively resolve anticipated problems."
He also expressed confidence in securing power and water, the core foundations of the semiconductor industry. Min said, "Each fab requires 60,000 tons of water per day and large-scale power, but the Deoknam water treatment plant's conveyance tunnel can supply 200,000 tons initially, and in the long term we plan to pursue raising the Dongbok Dam." He added, "We will secure a stable power grid by utilizing a renewable energy self-sufficiency base currently at the 170 percent level." He also saw talent cultivation as a key factor determining long-term competitiveness. "By linking 42 educational institutions and 10 graduate schools, we will cultivate 6,333 practical-minded talents annually, and creating a city where young people can work and settle is also an important element of semiconductor competitiveness," he added.
He assessed the relocation site of Gwangju's military airport as the optimal location for the Honam semiconductor cluster. Min said, "The military airport site requires almost no prior administrative procedures, and since most of it is state-owned land and flat terrain, it is easy to build an industrial complex." He added, "It is also a highly competitive location in terms of resident acceptance."
However, he made clear that the military airport relocation must be led by the state. "Under the 'donation-and-transfer' method, relocation and development of the former site must be pursued together," Min said. "Since Muan County also expressed active cooperation after the Honam semiconductor cluster announcement, the operation of the relocation site selection committee and consultations with related agencies will begin in earnest," he said with anticipation.
Balanced development of the integrated special city is also a core task of his elected term. "There may be conflicts early on, but we will resolve them through public discussion and social consensus based on the principle of horizontal integration with no special favors or exclusion," he said. "We will place the government building and major administrative functions in Muan, assign political affairs and agency coordination to Gwangju, and industrial and economic functions to the eastern region, distributing authority and budget in a balanced way."
He also presented an industry strategy by region. Gwangju will nurture future industries centered on artificial intelligence (AI), culture and future mobility; the eastern region will focus on materials, parts and equipment and manufacturing upgrades; the western region will focus on energy industries such as offshore wind, solar and hydrogen; and the central-southern region will build a growth axis centered on agriculture-life sciences, bio and K-food.
Min said, "We will create an industrial ecosystem that leverages the strengths of each region while spreading the outcomes across the entire integrated special city." He added, "The ultimate goal is to create a city where young people return by improving access to administration, transportation, medical care and childcare services."
He repeatedly emphasized that the launch of the integrated special city must not stop at merging administrative districts. "The integration of South Jeolla and Gwangju must not stop at creating a new administrative system but must become a starting point for changing Korea's industrial map," Min said emphatically. "We will build, together with citizens, an integrated special city that achieves both growth and balanced development based on future industries including semiconductors."
He is... △Born in Haenam, South Jeolla, in 1961 △Graduated from Mokpo High School △Graduated from Chonnam National University, Department of Sociology △Ph.D. in Sociology, Chonnam National University △Blue House Secretary for Social Coordination △Blue House Secretary for Local Development △Blue House Secretary for Social Policy △Head of Gwangsan District Office, Jeonnam-Gwangju △21st and 22nd National Assembly member (Gwangsan-B, Jeonnam-Gwangju) △First Mayor of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City
