Yongin Mayor: "Semiconductor Megacluster Plagiarized by Kim Dong-yeon, Not the Government"

Governor Kim refutes claim that government plagiarized Gyeonggi-do policy
Mayor Lee Sang-il states government announced it first in March last year

Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, and Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin, are engaged in a plagiarism dispute over the 'Semiconductor Mega Cluster' plan being promoted in the southern Gyeonggi region, including Yongin and Pyeongtaek. In response to Governor Kim's recent remarks that the government's semiconductor mega cluster development plan "seems to have plagiarized Gyeonggi Province's policy," Mayor Lee directly rebutted, saying, "On the contrary, Governor Kim plagiarized the policy."

Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin.
Photo by Yongin City

The dispute began during Governor Kim's live broadcast on social media while attending the World Economic Forum (WEF, Davos Forum) in Davos, Switzerland, on the 18th. Governor Kim criticized the 622 trillion won semiconductor mega cluster development plan announced by President Yoon Suk-yeol at a public discussion held at Sungkyunkwan University Suwon Campus on the 15th, calling it "a recycled amount misleading the public."

Governor Kim further claimed, "What’s more interesting is that the government said it would create the largest semiconductor mega cluster, but this seems to be a plagiarism of Gyeonggi Province’s policy. Last June, I made the exact same statement as one of Gyeonggi Province’s key tasks."

In response to Governor Kim’s remarks, Mayor Lee issued a lengthy press release on the 22nd, stating, "The plagiarism was actually done by Governor Kim," and rebutted, "Who plagiarized can be easily determined just by looking at the timing of the policy announcements."

Mayor Lee explained, "The semiconductor cluster plan mentioned by Governor Kim last June was essentially a rehash of the semiconductor mega cluster plan for Yongin National Industrial Complex and others, announced three months earlier in March of the same year by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy." He added, "It is very regrettable that Governor Kim used words like 'plagiarism' and 'misleading the public' without any basis, simply because the government explained detailed plans such as additional investment (60 trillion won) at the public discussion."

Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province. [Yonhap News]

Mayor Lee further elaborated, "The advanced system semiconductor cluster national industrial complex development plan for Idong and Namsa announced in March last year was achieved through tight security by Yongin in consultation with the central government and Samsung Electronics, without any consultation with Gyeonggi Province or any relation to Governor Kim."

He continued, "The 'plan announced last June' by Governor Kim was merely his statement at the 3rd Pan-Government Promotion Support Group meeting held at Samsung Electronics Giheung Campus, where he said, 'Gyeonggi Province has the world’s largest semiconductor mega cluster development plan and will support it with bold regulatory innovation.' At that time, the content was no different from the semiconductor promotion plan announced by the government three months earlier, and it was nothing more than a declarative statement lacking specificity."

In particular, Mayor Lee criticized, "Various projects such as the future research complex around Samsung Electronics Giheung Campus, the cooperative company residential complex, and new local industrial complexes for relocating existing companies within the advanced system semiconductor national industrial complex in Idong and Namsa-eup are not progressing smoothly due to the 'foot-dragging' of the Gyeonggi Province Local Industrial Complex Planning Review Committee." He added, "If Governor Kim wants to strengthen the competitiveness of the semiconductor industry, he should start by addressing these issues."

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