JEONNAM-GWANGJU — Business leaders including Yang Jin-seok, chairman of the Gwangju Employers Federation, have moved to create a private-sector hub to support the success of the semiconductor cluster in the Honam region.
The Jeonnam-Gwangju Semiconductor Forum said on the 20th that it held its first interim board meeting and a donation ceremony the previous day, beginning full-scale operations with 450 million won in initial funding contributed voluntarily by local business figures.
The organization extends beyond the business community. Yang was named the forum's first chairman. Jung Eun-seung, head of the Gwangju Semiconductor Strategy Committee, and attorney Kim Seung-hwi serve as co-representatives. The board includes Son Kyung-jong, vice chairman of the Gwangju Semiconductor Strategy Committee, along with figures from business, civil society, youth groups and women's business associations. The forum said the structure secures both private-sector representation and on-the-ground perspective.
The initial funding raised voluntarily by local business figures was disclosed at the event. Yang contributed 300 million won, DH Group Chairman Lee Jung-kwon 100 million won, co-representative Kim Seung-hwi 20 million won, Songhak Construction Chairman Kim Young-keun 20 million won, and board member Park Chan-kap 10 million won. The total came to 450 million won.
The forum plans to use the money as seed funding to build a semiconductor industry ecosystem in the Honam region. It also said it would broaden participation to include anchor semiconductor companies, local merchants and residents, and manage the funds transparently.
The Jeonnam-Gwangju Semiconductor Forum completed its founding assembly, corporate establishment approval and registration procedures within about a month of launching a preparatory committee last month. Having built its organizational framework and begun official activities in such a short period, the private-sector push to nurture the regional semiconductor industry is expected to gain momentum.
The forum expressed respect for the investment decisions by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix in the Honam region and said it would help build an industrial ecosystem where global companies can take root and operate stably. Its main roles include building cooperation frameworks among the private sector, government, industry, academia and research institutes, helping investments take root, training talent tailored to field needs, running public forums for residents, and proposing policies and infrastructure.
The forum will also pursue six priority projects, including forming 50 subcommittee bodies, conducting surveys on living conditions for corporate staff, and holding outreach briefings for residents. Its activities will extend beyond Gwangju to the eastern and western parts of Jeonnam, aiming for shared development across the Honam region.
The forum will establish a Semiconductor Strategy Research Institute as an affiliated body. The institute will develop strategies tailored to corporate needs, support measures residents can feel directly, and region-specific policy tasks.
"The success of the 800 trillion won semiconductor mega-cluster will be achieved only when corporate technology combines with community support," Yang said. "The Jeonnam-Gwangju Semiconductor Forum will serve as a bridgehead that connects the infrastructure and talent companies need at the right time, and builds a world-class semiconductor hub where residents and businesses grow together."