Kim Kyunghee, Icheon Mayoral Candidate, Urges Complete Removal of Metropolitan Area Exclusion Clause from Special Act on Semiconductors

Kim Kyunghee, Icheon Mayoral Candidate, Calls for Withdrawal of Enforcement Decree
"Excluding the Seoul Metropolitan Area from Semiconductors Harms National Competitiveness"
"Exclusion Clause is a Toxic Provision That Undermines Semiconductor Competitiveness"
"'Industrial Concentration,' Not Geographic Criteria, Should Be the Basis for Redesign"

Kim Kyunghee, candidate for Mayor of Icheon from the People Power Party, called for a comprehensive review of the government’s policy on May 18, in response to the controversy over the exclusion of the Seoul metropolitan area in the proposed Enforcement Decree of the Special Act on Semiconductors.

Kim Kyung-Hee, candidate for Mayor of Icheon (right), attended a press conference jointly held by members and candidates of the People Power Party from the Gyeonggi region on the 18th, urging the withdrawal of the "Semiconductor Special Act Enforcement Decree". Screenshot from Kim Kyung-Hee's Facebook page

On this day, Kim attended a press conference jointly held by the People Power Party’s Gyeonggi-area members of the National Assembly and candidates, stating, “If the exclusion clause for the metropolitan area is included in the Enforcement Decree of the Special Act on Semiconductors, it could result in Gyeonggi Province being left out of the semiconductor industry support system,” and insisted, “This is clearly reverse discrimination.”

Kim emphasized that “the southern region of Gyeonggi Province—including Icheon, Yongin, Hwaseong, and Pyeongtaek—is already a key industrial hub of South Korea, where world-class semiconductor production lines, research and development (R&D) capabilities, and supply chains for materials, parts, and equipment are concentrated.” She stressed, “Criteria that do not reflect the industrial reality could weaken national competitiveness.”

She also pointed out, “Restructuring the support targets based on geographic criteria, despite the presence of already stable semiconductor clusters, risks undermining the continuity of the industrial ecosystem.”

Candidate Kim Kyunghee for Mayor of Icheon. Screenshot of Candidate Kim Kyunghee's Facebook homepage

Kim stated that, as part of the People Power Party’s Gyeonggi-area united front, she called on the government and the National Assembly to: completely remove the exclusion clause for the metropolitan area; establish designation standards focused on industrial concentration; guarantee regulatory exemptions for the Gyeonggi Smart Semiconductor Belt; and establish parallel development measures to promote coexistence between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas.

Kim added, “The semiconductor industry is not a matter for a specific region, but a national strategic industry directly linked to the future competitiveness of South Korea as a whole,” and emphasized, “Industrial realities must be sufficiently reflected from the policy design stage.”

Candidate Kim Kyung-Hee for Mayor of Icheon. Screenshot from Candidate Kim Kyung-Hee's Facebook homepage.

She continued, “It is also necessary for the citizens of Icheon to fully recognize the importance of the semiconductor industry,” and added, “Policies should be adjusted so that both the local economy and national industrial competitiveness can be protected together.”

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