Will the 'Water Source Protection Zone' Restrictions Be Lifted for Yongin Idong and Namsa Semiconductor National Industrial Complex?

Factory Installation Impossible Due to 44 Years of Protected Area Designation
Recent Bill Proposed to Mediate Conflicts Between Local Governments

The designation of the advanced system semiconductor national industrial complex in the Yongin Idong and Namsa-eup areas of Gyeonggi Province is drawing attention as a potential key to resolving the long-standing conflict between local governments over the lifting of the 'Water Source Protection Zone' that has been in place for 44 years. The lifting or establishment of exceptions to the Water Source Protection Zone, which prohibits factory construction within a certain radius, is an essential condition for the development of the industrial complex.

A panoramic view of the Yongin Idongnamsa system semiconductor national industrial complex site, designated as a national advanced industry specialized complex.
[Photo provided by Yongin City]

Idong·Namsa Semiconductor Industrial Complex, Actually a Water Source Protection Zone

According to Yongin and Pyeongtaek cities on the 14th, Yongin City insists that the Water Source Protection Zone designated in the Namsa-eup area of Cheoin-gu must be lifted to establish the system semiconductor national industrial complex. Under current law, factory construction is prohibited within a 7 km radius of water intake points in the Water Source Protection Zone, and installation in the 7-10 km radius area requires approval from the local government head.

The Namsa-eup area, along with Jinwi-myeon in Pyeongtaek, was designated as the Songtan Water Source Protection Zone in 1979. The total area designated as the Water Source Protection Zone at that time was 3.9 km². A significant portion of the 7.1 million m² site of the Idong·Namsa industrial complex, designated by the government in July as a national advanced strategic industry specialized complex, is also included in the Water Source Protection Zone. Without lifting the Water Source Protection Zone, the industrial complex cannot be developed in principle.

Yongin City states that "this issue must be resolved by any means." A Yongin City official said, "Since the nation has designated this as a specialized complex to foster advanced industries, we expect the issue to be resolved at the pan-government level."

Some in the government and local governments argue that while lifting the protection zone is the best option, if that is not feasible, an exceptional regulation excluding factory installation restrictions for the specialized complex should be considered.

Despite Repeated Requests from Yongin City, Pyeongtaek City Firmly Opposes Lifting

Pyeongtaek City, which still holds the key to lifting the Water Source Protection Zone, has not officially changed its stance of 'no lifting.' A Pyeongtaek City official said, "There have been no concrete negotiations yet. The Namsa-eup area directly affects the water quality of Jinwi Stream, which is the water source for Pyeongtaek citizens," expressing a negative view on lifting the zone.

The conflict over whether to lift the Water Source Protection Zone dates back to 2016. It intensified when Yongin City pushed to relocate factories in Yubang-dong, Gorip-dong, and Yangji-myeon areas to Namsa-myeon, near the Water Source Protection Zone, according to the '2016 Yongin Urban Basic Plan.'

Yongin City has previously requested Gyeonggi Province, the designating authority, to lift the protection zone, but Pyeongtaek City and environmental groups have consistently opposed it, citing concerns such as deterioration of Pyeongtaek Lake water quality and increased water usage costs due to changing the water source (from Songtan to Paldang).

At one point, the province intervened as a mediator and produced a research report suggesting conditional lifting might be possible, but this was also rejected by Pyeongtaek City and ultimately failed.

Will the Government and Political Circles Find a Solution?

However, there is also a prospect that Pyeongtaek City may find it difficult to oppose lifting the Water Source Protection Zone indefinitely. Since the Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Campus is included in the newly designated national advanced strategic industry specialized complex, industry insiders expect that Pyeongtaek may make some concessions for government policy support.

Legislation is also underway in the political sphere to find a solution. Recently, Kim Hak-yong, a member of the People Power Party, introduced a 'Water Supply Act Amendment' that allows not only the water supply operator local government within the Water Source Protection Zone but also neighboring local governments to request changes, and requires the Ministry of Environment to decide on the change after hearing opinions from local governments.

This bill aims to resolve the problem where the authority to install or close local water supply facilities lies with the water supply operator local government, making it difficult to resolve or mediate conflicts between local governments over the Water Source Protection Zone.

Through the amendment, Kim allows neighboring local governments, not the water supply operator, to request the Minister of Environment to review changes to the Water Source Protection Zone if there are reasons such as property damage as defined by the Ministry of Environment's ordinances.

Also, the Minister of Environment will decide on the change of the Water Source Protection Zone after procedures such as public hearings to listen to stakeholders' opinions, enabling the resolution of disagreements between local governments related to the Water Source Protection Zone.

Accordingly, attention is focused on whether the long-standing conflict between Yongin City and Pyeongtaek City over lifting the Water Source Protection Zone in the Namsa-eup area can find a solution with this specialized complex designation as an opportunity.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.