Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae's First Official Act: 'Semiconductor' Focus Amid 7 Trillion Won Debt

[Anchor]

Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae has signed the province's "Semiconductor Innovation Plan" as her first official act since taking office. Governor Choo also faces the urgent task of normalizing the province's dire financial situation.

Reporter Choi Ho-won has the story.

[Reporter]

At her inauguration ceremony, Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae pledged to focus her administration on three key pillars: fairness, innovation, and inclusion.

When asked about specific job creation policies, she pointed to the Yongin semiconductor industrial complex, explaining that with three new factories expected to be operational by 2030 at the earliest, the number of jobs in the province is set to increase significantly.

[Choo Mi-ae / Gyeonggi Province Governor: Statistically, one fab (factory) requires 7,000 personnel. With three fabs, that would be a little over 20,000. Around 13,000 to 14,000 of those positions will be filled by our residents, and our Gyeonggi Province is truly rich in talent.]

Following the inauguration ceremony, she received a briefing on and signed the "Gyeonggi Province Innovation Plan for Semiconductor Super-gap" as her first official document.

[Hyun Byung-cheon / Director of Future Growth Industry Bureau, Gyeonggi Province: This is about securing a base for new next-generation semiconductor growth engines. Gyeonggi Province aims to foster 200 fabless (semiconductor design) companies during this term.]

As the government has decided to shorten the construction periods for the Yongin system semiconductor national industrial complex by 7 years and the semiconductor cluster general industrial complex by 12 years, Gyeonggi Province has set a goal to double its semiconductor production capacity within five years by providing timely support for core infrastructure such as electricity, water supply, and roads.

Governor Choo is also promoting key policies including housing support for young newlyweds, the introduction of the "One Pass" integrated transportation system for the metropolitan area, and the cultivation of high-tech industries in northern Gyeonggi. However, the challenge lies in the province's poor financial condition.

[Choo Mi-ae / Gyeonggi Province Governor: The 9th elected Gyeonggi provincial government is starting with a debt exceeding 7 trillion won. As of July 2026, we are in a grave situation where projects worth approximately 300 billion won have not even been reflected in the budget due to a lack of funds.]

Gyeonggi Province plans to consult with the National Assembly on a plan to incorporate a portion of corporate local income tax, which is currently municipal revenue, into the provincial budget. However, resistance is expected from cities and counties with low financial independence.

(Video reporting: Jang Woon-seok)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.