Yongin and Hampyeong Strengthen Sister City Ties Through Semiconductor Collaboration…Hampyeong County Governor Visits SK Hynix Fab
Yongin Special City Mayor Lee Sang-il invited a delegation from Hampyeong County in the Gwangju-Jeonnam Integrated Special City on the 2nd to the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster General Industrial Complex, where the group observed the construction site of SK Hynix's semiconductor production facility (fab) and discussed issues related to the semiconductor industry.
On the day, Mayor Lee toured the SK Hynix semiconductor fab construction site with County Governor Lee Nam-o and other Hampyeong County representatives, along with about 30 officials including Park Jung-ho, representative director of Yongin General Industrial Complex Co., Ltd. (former SK Hynix vice chairman), and Jang Hyo-sik, vice president of SK Ecoplanation Co., Ltd., and reviewed the project's progress.
The field visit was arranged following a request made during Mayor Lee's visit to Hampyeong County, the city's sister city, on August 31st, when County Governor Lee Nam-o expressed his desire to learn from Yongin's advanced examples of building a world-class semiconductor ecosystem.
Mayor Lee, County Governor Lee, and others visited the promotional center of the SK Hynix Yongin Semiconductor Cluster General Industrial Complex being developed in the Jukneung-ri area of Wonsam-myeon, Cheoin-gu, where they received updates on the industrial complex construction and Phase 1 fab construction progress from Vice President Jang Hyo-sik of SK Ecoplanation Co., Ltd.
At the site, Mayor Lee stated, "Semiconductors are the most important industry supporting Korea's economy, and in the AI era, they are the core industry responsible for Korea's future economy. Hampyeong County is close to the Gwangju military airport and has relatively well-developed transportation infrastructure compared to nearby cities, so I believe semiconductor parts and materials companies will be able to establish themselves here."
He continued, "For Korea's semiconductor industry to continue maintaining its ultra-competitive edge and dominance on the world stage, we must accelerate our efforts further. Yongin Special City is communicating closely with SK Hynix and sparing no administrative support."
After hearing about the construction progress at the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster General Industrial Complex, the Hampyeong County delegation raised questions about the role of local governments and administrative procedures in preparing the semiconductor industry foundation.
Mayor Lee, responding to the county governor's questions, shared Yongin Special City's administrative experience, citing examples of expediting semiconductor projects through proactive administrative procedures.
Mayor Lee stated, "To attract parts and materials companies to Hampyeong County, it is necessary to research incentives that will appeal to businesses. Since Hampyeong County has relatively cheaper land prices compared to the capital region, we should leverage this advantage to attract companies."
He also advised, "With fab construction planned, we need to develop alternatives regarding construction workforce, worker commutes, and accommodation issues."
After concluding their discussion, they visited the ongoing fab construction site to observe the development of the large-scale semiconductor facility.
The Yongin Semiconductor Cluster is a large-scale semiconductor industrial complex being developed across approximately 4.16 million square meters (1.26 million pyeong). SK Hynix plans to invest around 600 trillion won to construct four state-of-the-art semiconductor fabs here and build a semiconductor ecosystem with materials, components, and equipment companies.
SK Hynix will construct four three-story fabs in two phases. The Phase 1 fab is proceeding with a target completion date of February 2027.
The Phase 1 fab currently under construction is expected to become a key production hub for next-generation memory semiconductors, including high-bandwidth memory (HBM), which is a core product in the AI semiconductor market.
Mayor Lee stated, "As you have seen at SK Hynix, a major project is underway in Yongin. I believe that actually seeing the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster General Industrial Complex construction site will be of great benefit to Hampyeong County."
He added, "I hope that Hampyeong County will gain much inspiration and wisdom by observing Yongin Special City's administrative experience and expertise in building semiconductor industrial complexes."
Meanwhile, the Hampyeong County delegation is scheduled to attend the '2026 Korea Jo-Ah Yongin Character Festival' and the '30th Anniversary Yongin City Promotion Commemoration Ceremony' to be held at Yongin Mirs Stadium on the 3rd.