President Lee Rebuts Report on 'Water Shortage for Honam Semiconductors': "Honam Has as Much Water as Yeongnam and the Capital Region"

President Lee Jae-myung has refuted a Chosun Ilbo report that raised concerns about water shortages for planned semiconductor complexes in the Honam region, stating, "Honam has as much water as the Yeongnam or capital regions."

On the morning of June 27, President Lee cited the Chosun Ilbo article titled "Government, Any Measures for Semiconductor Water Shortage? Likely to Draw from Honam Agricultural Reservoirs" on X (formerly Twitter), explaining, "It has been reviewed that supplying 1 million tons of industrial water per day is possible if management systems are equipped and water resources are properly allocated and managed to meet the needs of high-tech city development."

Regarding water resources in Honam, President Lee pointed out, "For decades, for the political purpose of divide-and-rule, Honam has been managed at the level of an agricultural city, leaving its water resources neglected to the extent of only meeting agricultural water supply needs."

He further emphasized, "Global semiconductor leaders Samsung and SK Hynix, which compete for the top two spots in the world, are not foolish enough to plan large-scale factory construction in regions lacking the water essential for semiconductor production without prior review," adding, "The government also does not encourage building factories in regions without water."

President Lee added, "Setting aside political stances, I ask for understanding and cooperation for regional balanced development and nationwide co-prosperity policies, on which the fate of the Republic of Korea depends."

Kim Yong-beom, Chief of Staff for Policy at the Presidential Office, also wrote in a post on social media on the morning of June 27, "From dam surplus, unused water volumes that have been over-allocated for decades, and large agricultural weirs and storage facilities, to recycled sewage water—the water resource pool in the southwestern region is sufficient, it is just scattered."

Four minutes after his initial post, President Lee also posted on social media, "To a Buddha, only Buddhas are visible, and to a pig, only pigs are visible," adding, "People often think that others think and act just as they do themselves."

Interpretations emerged that this post was a rebuttal to criticism from the People Power Party regarding the promotion of the Honam semiconductor complex, or a reaction to remarks made by Rhyu Si-min on Kim Ou-joon's YouTube channel the previous night, where he said, "What people wanted was an 'extension,' but President Lee tried to do a 'reconstruction'."

A Presidential Office official explained, "The post uploaded by President Lee Jae-myung on social media contains principled content," adding, "However, it reflects his regret over the spread of speculation and false claims regarding companies' concentrated investment in local regions."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.