Gangwon-do Invests 221.2 Billion KRW in 9 Semiconductor-Related Projects

Four Projects, Including the Korea Semiconductor Education Center, to Break Ground This Year
Governor Kim: "We Will Attract Many Companies by Establishing a Foundation in R&D and Education"

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Kim Jin-tae) announced on the 31st that it is investing 221.2 billion KRW in nine projects to establish the ‘Gangwon Region K-Semiconductor Cluster.’ It also announced that among the nine projects, four projects, including the ‘Korea Semiconductor Education Center,’ which will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on April 1, are scheduled to begin full-scale construction this year.

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Governor Kim Jin-tae announced on the 31st at the provincial government press room that 221.2 billion won is being invested in nine projects to establish the "Gangwon K-Semiconductor Cluster." Photo by Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office

Gangwon Province established and is actively promoting the ‘Four Major Strategies for Establishing the Gangwon Region K-Semiconductor Cluster’ in October 2023 to create a semiconductor industry ecosystem, focusing on ▲human resource development ▲testbed construction ▲site development ▲investment attraction.

The four projects starting construction this year (170.6 billion KRW) are broadly divided into the fields of specialized human resource development (Korea Semiconductor Education Center, Semiconductor Joint Research Institute) and testbed construction (Semiconductor Consumables Demonstration Center, Future Vehicle System Semiconductor Reliability Verification Center).

An explanatory image of the nine investment sectors totaling 221.2 billion KRW for the 'Gangwon Region K-Semiconductor Cluster Development' announced by Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province on the 31st. Image provided by Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office

First, the ‘Korea Semiconductor Education Center,’ which will hold its groundbreaking ceremony tomorrow (April 1), is Gangwon’s first semiconductor project, securing 20 billion KRW in national funding in 2022. Starting with this, in 2023, the Gangwon-type Semiconductor Shared University, involving seven universities within Gangwon Province, began operation and achieved the establishment of a credit exchange system.

The ‘Semiconductor Joint Research Institute’ was selected in July last year by the Ministry of Education’s competition for the semiconductor design field, differentiated from other universities, and is scheduled to begin construction in November this year. In the future, it plans to establish a collaborative system with Seoul National University’s Semiconductor Joint Research Institute to serve as a central hub for semiconductor research and education.

The ‘Future Vehicle System Semiconductor Reliability Verification Center’ and the ‘Semiconductor Consumables Demonstration Center’ secured project feasibility by passing the central investment review in October 2023. Both projects will begin construction in the Buron General Industrial Complex in Wonju in October and November this year, respectively, supporting semiconductor technology assistance and product development through demonstration and verification.

In addition, five projects totaling 50.6 billion KRW are currently underway, including ▲Semiconductor Shared University ▲Advanced Industry Talent Development Bootcamp ▲Specialized High School Semiconductor Department ▲Semiconductor Specialized University ▲Medical AI Semiconductor Specialized Human Resource Development Center.

Furthermore, next year, a semiconductor-linked project (46.2 billion KRW) aimed at advancing regional specialized industries is planned, with continuous efforts to discover new projects.

Gangwon Province has signed investment agreements with a total of six semiconductor companies, attracting investments worth 216.3 billion KRW, with four of these companies already having started construction. Additionally, it has promoted six cooperation and agreement projects for semiconductor industry development, including signing agreements with global semiconductor companies such as Samsung Electronics and DB HiTek, as well as the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association, which plays a pivotal role in Korea’s semiconductor industry, marking the first such agreements by a local government.

Governor Kim Jin-tae said in a meeting with reporters on the day, “Starting with the Korea Semiconductor Education Center, the first semiconductor project to break ground tomorrow, a total of four projects will begin full-scale construction this year,” adding, “In particular, these projects include human resource development, testbeds, and R&D.” He emphasized, “Based on this foundation, we will pursue corporate attraction as the ultimate goal.”

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