President Lee Addresses Water Supply Concerns for Honam Semiconductor Cluster

President Lee Jae-myung responded on June 27 to concerns about potential water shortages for the semiconductor cluster in the Honam region, stating, "Honam has as much water as the Yeongnam or Seoul metropolitan areas."

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), President Lee referenced an article discussing the issue, asserting that with proper management systems in place, it is feasible to supply up to 1 million tons of industrial water daily.

He criticized the historical management of water resources in Honam, saying, "For decades, the region has been maintained at an agricultural city level for political purposes, only meeting the needs for agricultural water supply." He emphasized that major semiconductor companies like Samsung and SK Hynix would not plan to build large-scale factories in a water-scarce area without thorough consideration.

President Lee added, "The government does not encourage factories to be built in areas lacking water," and called for understanding and cooperation on balanced regional development and national coexistence policies, regardless of political stance.

In his post, he also remarked, "What one sees depends on one's perspective," suggesting that people often assume others think and act as they do.

This statement appears to counter criticisms from the opposition People Power Party, which has accused the government of pushing for semiconductor factories in Honam for political reasons. Some observers noted that the comment may also respond to recent public criticism from writer Yoo Si-min regarding President Lee's unifying approach.

A Blue House official described the president's remarks as "principled" and expressed regret over the spread of misconceptions and false claims regarding corporate investment in regional areas.