[Hanam·Gwangju=E-Daily Reporter Hwang Young-min ] The water flow heading toward the Yongin High-Tech System Semiconductor National Industrial Complex is causing widespread damage to neighboring municipalities, including Hanam City and Gwangju City in Gyeonggi Province. This is because the pipeline supplying water used to operate semiconductor production lines runs through both municipalities.

In the case of Hanam City, public opinion is growing that government-level compensation measures are needed, as the city has been pouring administrative resources into resolving years of public-private conflict over the expansion of the DONGSUH Conversion Station—which draws electricity from the east coast to supply the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster and other facilities.

According to a comprehensive report by Edaily on the 7th, residents of Sangsangok-dong, Hanam City, met with Seok Seung-ho, Director of the Hanam City Transportation and Construction Bureau, and staff from the Road Management Division on the 6th to voice their concerns about the harm they will suffer due to the installation of water supply pipelines for the Yongin National Semiconductor Industrial Complex. Since last month, they have been hanging banners throughout Hanam City to protest the integrated water supply project for the Yongin Semiconductor Industrial Complex.

This project, being pushed forward by the Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) to supply 1.072 million metric tons of industrial water per day to the Yongin National Semiconductor Industrial Complex, involves constructing a new 46.9-kilometer pipeline starting from the Hanam water conveyance branch—located at the junction of the pipeline heading from the Paldang Dam to the Seoul Metropolitan Area—passing through Gwangju, and extending to the Yongin National Industrial Complex.

Gwangju City, through which one-third of the pipeline will pass, estimates that the annual damages resulting from noise, airborne dust, groundwater depletion, forest destruction, and traffic congestion during the eight-year construction period will amount to at least 280 billion won. Gwangju Mayor Park Kwan-yeol has been urging the government to provide compensation for these damages since his time as mayor-elect, staging a one-person protest in front of SamsungElectronics’ Seocho headquarters. Civil society has also joined this effort, and on the 29th of last month, a “Citywide Solidarity Alliance of Civil Society” was formed with the participation of about 50 civic organizations.

In Hanam City, the pipeline will be laid over a 4.5-kilometer stretch from 580-1, Hasangok-dong—where the water main is currently located—to San 202, Sangsangok-dong. Residents of Sangsangok-dong are concerned about issues such as road damage, traffic restrictions, and groundwater depletion that may arise during this process. Since the 18th of last month, Hanam City has been meeting with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to demand that the water pipeline route be moved from the road to riverbed land, and negotiations are ongoing, including a second meeting held on the 2nd.

The water pipeline is not the only issue Hanam City is facing due to the large-scale semiconductor cluster development project underway in Yongin. There is also the ongoing conflict over the expansion of the DONGSUH Converter Station, which has persisted since 2024.

The East Seoul Converter Station, the final gateway in the national high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power grid that transmits electricity generated on the east coast to the Seoul Metropolitan Area over a distance of 280 km, is currently undergoing an expansion project led by #KoreaElectricPower (KEPCO) to add 500 kV direct current to its existing 345 kV capacity.

The Dongseoul Converter Station, which converts DC power back to AC, is considered a key power facility for meeting the massive electricity demand in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, including the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster. While KEPCO is proceeding with this project and simultaneously implementing a plan to house outdoor equipment inside buildings, the project has stalled due to collective opposition from residents of the nearby Gam-il District over concerns regarding increased power generation.

Faced with collective complaints from residents, Hanam City has incurred significant administrative costs—including filing an administrative lawsuit against KEPCO—and it was not until last August that a consultative body for the East Seoul Converter Station expansion, involving the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, KEPCO, and local residents, began operations to finally resolve the issue.

A neighborhood leader in Sangsangok-dong pointed out, “While Yongin is literally raking in a windfall from excess tax revenue generated by the semiconductor industry, the citizens of Hanam—who are actually making sacrifices for the semiconductor industry’s infrastructure—are suffering the consequences,” adding, “We need the ‘special compensation for special sacrifices’ that President Lee Jae-myung always emphasizes.”

Hanam Mayor Lee Hyun-jae also stated at a press conference marking his 100th day in office on the 6th, “Hanam faces three major challenges, one of which is the issue of the DONGSUH Conversion Station in the Gamil District, and the water pipeline issue is another.” He added, “While it is true that local governments should cooperate with central government projects, it is difficult to accept being forced to make sacrifices without compensation.”

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae is devising a plan for mutual growth with regions such as Gwangju, Hanam, and Anseong—through which power transmission lines and water pipelines pass—via the (tentatively named) “Gyeonggi Future Investment Corporation,” a joint venture with local governments in semiconductor industry hubs such as Yongin, Hwaseong, Suwon, Pyeongtaek, and Icheon.