- Semiconductor investment in Honam? I was the first to say it 7 years ago
- Lee once shouted "dismantle chaebols"... A world of difference, deeply moved
- Water and power shortage in Honam? The government just needs to provide good support
- Honam is good, but we must build the Yongin cluster first
- Investing in South Korea, not overseas, is important
- Special treatment for Honam? Chungcheong and Yeongnam were also announced, but it's vague
- Chang says "I will not resign"? Heard it directly in the closed-door meeting
- Conditional resignation? It could depend on how one hears it
- Kim Min-soo says "Resign yourself"? It shouldn't be perceived as an attack on the leader
- Woo Jae-jun's remarks should not be taken as an attack on Chang Dong-hyeok
- Lee is crossing between progressive and conservative, what are we doing?
 
■ Broadcast: SBS Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show (FM 103.5 MHz 7:00 - 9:00)
■ Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2026
■ Host: Attorney Kim Tae-hyun
■ Guest: Yang Hyang-ja, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: How does the political circle view the large-scale semiconductor investment plans announced by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix? She is a semiconductor expert. Let's discuss this with Yang Hyang-ja, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party. Hello, Representative.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Nice to meet you.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Supreme Council Member, nice to meet you. It's been a while.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: I don't appear on broadcasts often, but I came today especially.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Thank you. Today's topics are two: semiconductors, and the People Power Party's Supreme Council.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Let's leave out the People Power Party's Supreme Council.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: We can't do that. You were right there at the scene yesterday. First of all, I think you, Supreme Council Member, would have the most accurate view on semiconductors, as you are currently almost the only semiconductor expert in politics, from the Honam region, and now a member of the opposition leadership.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: It is unique, isn't it?
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: It is unique. For Honam, SK specifically used the term "Southwest region," and Samsung specified "Gwangju." How do you evaluate their decision to invest 4,700 trillion won over 10 years in semiconductor and AI facilities?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: I don't know if you remember, but I was recruited into politics on January 12, 2016, and ran for office in Gwangju in April. My very first message back then was about semiconductors.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Already 10 years ago?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Yes, 10 years ago.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: What foresight.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: The reason was that Gwangju has KEPCO (Korea Electric Power Corporation), so it could generate abundant energy, and it also has Kia Motors. At the time, Kia Motors was aiming to produce 1 million units, but I said back then that the paradigm of automobiles would change—shifting to electric vehicles and, further, to autonomous vehicles.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes, indeed, foresight.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: So I said, "Cars are semiconductors," and argued that Gwangju must bring in semiconductors and that Samsung Electronics must come. When I said that back then, the reaction of other politicians in Gwangju—especially the People's Party, which was very strong at the time—was to attack me heavily, saying things like, "Are you going to twist their arms to bring them here?"
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Like, "Would Samsung actually come?" things like that.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: And calling me a "Samsung spy." And back then, in 2017, President Lee Jae-myung's wording was that he would "dismantle the chaebols."
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: At that time?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Yes. But now that they have announced such semiconductor investments, I feel a world of difference and am deeply moved.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: So, in conclusion, you are saying that this is a good government policy and a good decision by the two companies, correct?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: As you know, the reason we can even talk about semiconductor hegemony globally is because of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. In particular, we hold the leadership in the HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) business. Actually, back in 2018, President Moon Jae-in announced a 180 trillion won investment in foundry semiconductors. In 2021, President Moon Jae-in also announced a 510 trillion won plan for the "K-Semiconductor Belt." Then, in 2023, under President Yoon Suk-yeol, 15 materials, parts, and equipment (sobu-jang) clusters were designated.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: There were such processes. The reason is that semiconductors open up the industrial paradigm. They open an era of revolution. If you look at "Moore's Law" from 1965, proposed by Dr. Gordon Moore, which states that semiconductor performance doubles every one to two years, the world opened by semiconductors enters a new era every 15 years when performance improves 1,000-fold. Let me explain briefly. It's short.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: In 1977, the era of the PC revolution began, combining with the internet. Adding 15 years brings us to 1992, when the digital revolution era opened, and all electronic industries shifted to digital. A new era was born. Adding another 15 years brings us to 2007, the era of the mobile revolution. With the advent of smartphones, all technologies converged. This was all the result of semiconductor performance. Adding 15 more years, at the end of 2022, the AI revolution era finally opened. However, in 2023, Dr. Gordon Moore passed away, and a new law signaling a new era emerged.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: What is it?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Huang's Law, Jensen Huang's Law.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: That Jensen Huang?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Not "Mr. Huang," but Jensen Huang. Jensen Huang says that a new era will now open every 10 years. He says that what enables this new era is precisely HBM (High Bandwidth Memory). Since the AI revolution era opened in 2022, a new era will open in 2032. What do you think that will be?
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: I wouldn't know.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: The moment humans and AI merge—that is the "singularity" that Ray Kurzweil talked about. It means the moment biological boundaries collapse will come in 2032. That is Physical AI.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: So, in any case, you are saying we must invest in semiconductors to prepare for that.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Exactly. That's why I said that with the opening of this AI era, we have hit the jackpot. The dam has burst on this demand. Therefore, investments must be made anywhere in South Korea, and it just needs to be done well in the regions that have been preparing.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: But some are questioning whether Gwangju, especially the Southwest region, is suitable as a location. They are particularly talking a lot about water shortages.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: That is true.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: How is it, setting aside all political aspects and looking at it strictly as a semiconductor expert?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Although they proposed a plan to supply 650,000 tons of water per day, the perception is that Gwangju and South Jeolla Province are actually drought-prone areas. They are perceived as water-scarce regions. Therefore, while making this announcement is important, people are curious about the roadmap for water, power, talent, and the living conditions you mentioned earlier. I will be watching to see how they announce those details in the future.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: So, in the end, it depends on how much infrastructure the government lays down?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Yes, from the government's side.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: To realize the investment plans of Samsung and SK, government support and a battle of speed are necessary.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: If you benchmark the roles played by Taiwan and China, their governments support quietly. And does Trump put on a show with Jensen Huang? Have you seen a country where the president holds hands with a company just because they are making an investment? It's not like that. So, what I think is important is—I hear the President is going to Gwangju today to make another announcement. While such announcements are important, we must clarify what we are going to do now to prepare for the new era that opens every 10 years, as I mentioned earlier. That is the job of tech companies, the big tech firms. In South Korea, Samsung and SK are doing it, so the government just needs to provide good support.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Then the power issue is the same, right?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: It's the same. As shown in this illustration, there is probably no one who has researched the power issue as much as I have over the past 10 years. In fact, when designating Yongin—the Yongin National Industrial Complex—I pointed out the problems. I was the chair of the semiconductor committee from 2022 to 2023. I spoke about it back then. Still, because we couldn't afford to lose this competitiveness, we had no choice but to designate Yongin. That is, the national industrial complex and the general industrial complex. The general complex is SK, and the national complex is Samsung. But we must finish Yongin first. Honam, which is currently being prepared, is good, and everything is good, but we must finish Yongin first.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: There is also the power issue. While the South Jeolla region has renewable energy, how will they install ESS (Energy Storage Systems), and how will they supply stable baseload power without fluctuations? These details have not been presented yet.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Understood. Then, in the end, is this investment plan a good thing?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: In any case, it is extremely important that large corporations are choosing to invest in South Korea. If they decided to invest all of this in the United States, the outflow of technology would be a much bigger problem. Also, one of the reasons this investment announcement is good is—what have I been shouting for the past 10 years? We must nurture talent in science and technology. Now, semiconductor-related departments at Hanyang University, Korea University, and Yonsei University are surpassing Seoul National University. Seoul National University seems to be very worried.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: So, the public has now come to understand the importance of semiconductors in South Korea, how semiconductors are literally a matter of survival for the nation, and how they serve as a security strategy to protect our country in the global hegemony war.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: But within the party, since Honam is the stronghold of the Democratic Party, some critical voices are raising concerns about balanced regional development, asking, "Isn't this twisting the arms of corporations? Isn't this abuse of authority? This is coercion, not administrative guidance." They are saying it is a political decision.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Yes.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: How do you view these opinions coming from some within the party?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Perhaps that is why, looking at yesterday's announcement, they said production will be in Honam, packaging in Chungcheong, and materials, parts, and equipment in Yeongnam.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: You mean they split it up?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: They made it vague. Actually, it seems they made the announcement based on what I proposed to the government in 2023. I had proposed the "K-Neom City Project" for five regions, specifying the necessary industries for each region, and they presented it like this yesterday. Everything is still vague—the timeframe, the roadmap, the regions, and the industries. They say they will invest, and they announced the numbers, but that is up to the year 2040. 700 trillion won until 2040.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: But they can say that as a plan.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Understood. In the end, government support is what is important. That is today's tentative conclusion.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: That's right.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Understood. Let's change the subject. I know you, Supreme Council Member, would like to keep talking about semiconductors, but we also need to relay what happened at yesterday's Supreme Council meeting. It was quite chaotic. First of all, you were there for the entire closed-door Supreme Council meeting, right?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Yes, I was.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: First, let me ask you to verify one fact. Regarding what happened at yesterday's closed-door Supreme Council meeting, the Hankook Ilbo reported in an exclusive that Representative Chang Dong-hyeok said, "If the issues of the special counsel on the National Election Commission are resolved, or if the ruling party accepts the special counsel and gives the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair to the opposition party—once this is resolved, I don't care what happens to my position." After the Hankook Ilbo reported this, Representative Chang Dong-hyeok linked the article and stated directly on his social media, "This article is incorrect. No matter what is decided at the general meeting of lawmakers, and no matter who says what at the Supreme Council, I will not resign. Anyone among the Supreme Council members who wants to resign should resign right here." Since you were there, is the Hankook Ilbo report correct, or is Representative Chang's statement correct?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: I would ask, is semiconductors more important, or is that more important?
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Both semiconductors and this are important.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: What I can tell you is that Representative Chang Dong-hyeok spoke extensively about important matters. He said the special counsel on the National Election Commission is important, and he even talked about the re-elections.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Special counsel and re-elections?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Yes. And he said the distribution of standing committee chairs, including the Legislation and Judiciary Committee chair, is also very important. He has been saying that these two are the most important and that he hoped other issues wouldn't be brought up.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: So, when he said that, the way people received it could differ. Some in the leadership might have felt the nuance was, "Once this is over, we can finally have some discussion." Others might have taken it as, "Once this is over, it doesn't matter what happens to me." And some might have thought, "Ah, he's going to keep going with this and won't resign." So opinions are divided.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: So it is difficult to say definitively, but when I saw the report, I wondered if he really said that, and then Representative Chang Dong-hyeok immediately posted, "I will not resign." Only Representative Chang Dong-hyeok would know the truth of that.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Did he say at yesterday's Supreme Council meeting that he would not resign?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Yes, he did yesterday.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: That he would not resign?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Yes. He spoke exactly as he posted on Facebook, saying he would not resign.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: So you are saying the Hankook Ilbo article was a report with some room for interpretation?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: I think the nuance depends on the recipient's perspective.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: How did you receive it, Supreme Council Member? Did you take it to mean, "Once this is resolved, he will resign," or did you think he would just keep going regardless?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Rather than that, I proposed that the leadership should take responsibility for the local elections, open the way for a new leadership, and prepare for the next general election.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: From that perspective, during this re-election, the attack calling us an "insurrectionist party" was massive. The candidates took all the bullets of that attack. Now, those talks are no longer coming up. So that is gone. Now, we must have a discussion on how we are truly going to prepare for the general election, which is 1 year and 9 months away.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: But since I am also part of the leadership, my term runs until August of next year. If our new leadership is established through a national convention only then, it will be too late.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Too late.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: That's why, from the perspective of someone who ran in an election, I argue that we need at least 1 year and 6 months to prepare. Because even now, the Democratic Party is preparing with their August 17 national convention, while we are unable to prepare.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: So you are saying we must hold a national convention by the end of this year or early next year at the latest?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Yes, I am offering the opinion that we must do so to win the general election. But as for how to gather consensus, and what the lawmakers in the National Assembly think...
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: In conclusion, your position is that Representative Chang needs to resign, correct?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Well, rather than forcing the method like that...
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Setting aside the methodology, what about the conclusion itself?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Even if there is a resignation, we need to discuss how we will establish a new leadership—whether we will do it, and whether we can do it.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: After drawing up a roadmap.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Yes. But this is not an individual issue. If everyone thinks from the perspective of saving our party, how are we going to win the 2028 general election? We have to start from there. So, while the semiconductor issue is important, our People Power Party must become a party that properly leads on issues like semiconductors as a conservative party. Only then will the public think, "Yes, the People Power Party can run the state affairs now," and support us in the general election.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Understood. You have called for the total resignation of the leadership, right?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Yes.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: That means you are willing to give up your own seat as a Supreme Council member, and the same goes for Supreme Council Member Woo Jae-jun. Yesterday, Supreme Council Member Kim Min-soo said, "Those who want to resign, go ahead and resign," and Representative Chang said something similar. Do you have any intention of taking the lead and stepping down first?
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: But looking at that stance, it's because they perceive the talk of establishing a new leadership simply as an attack on the party leader. It's not an attack on the leader. If we discuss what truly saves our People Power Party, and decide to open the way for a new leadership, our stepping back can be one of the ways.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: But if they look at it and say, "Why are you attacking the leader? How can the leadership attack a leader elected by party members?" then nothing gets done. So I hope we can focus our discussion on what we fundamentally wanted to achieve.
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: Yes.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Look at President Lee Jae-myung. He occupies both progressive and conservative domains. What is our conservative party going to do?
 
▷ Kim Tae-hyun: I understand what you mean. Let's stop here. That was Yang Hyang-ja, Supreme Council Member of the People Power Party. Thank you.
 
▶ Yang Hyang-ja: Thank you.

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