The government is taking full steps to foster the semiconductor ecosystem, pledging to invest 26 trillion won in semiconductors.

The government held its second economic issues review meeting on the 23rd and announced a comprehensive support plan for the semiconductor ecosystem.

Accordingly, the government has decided to pursue an additional comprehensive semiconductor support plan worth 26 trillion won for the entire semiconductor ecosystem, including manufacturing facilities, fabless, small and medium-sized enterprises, and human resource development.

First, we will launch a semiconductor finance support program worth 18.1 trillion won starting this year.

A 17 trillion won loan program will be established through investment from the Industrial Bank of Korea to support semiconductor investment funds at preferential interest rates.

Additionally, the semiconductor ecosystem fund, currently being established at 300 billion won, will be expanded to 1.1 trillion won.

We will also strengthen infrastructure support for the rapid establishment of a semiconductor mega cluster.

To dramatically accelerate the development of the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, planning and compensation will be pursued simultaneously, slashing the construction period by half.

In addition, we are improving the housing, cultural and transportation conditions for workers and local residents. The relocation and expansion of National Route 45, as well as the water and power supply issues, will be actively addressed through simplification of prior procedures and cost sharing among relevant agencies.

Regarding subsidies, we will pursue an extension of the application period for the national strategic technology tax credit and expand the scope of the R&D tax credit, including the purchase cost of semiconductor design software.

Finally, investment in R&D and human resource development will also be expanded to over 5 trillion won over the next three years.

We plan to swiftly complete a preliminary feasibility study on R&D projects, including advanced semiconductor packaging and mini-fab construction, and reflect the results in the 2025 budget.

We will also expand specialized universities and graduate schools specializing in semiconductors to intensively train professionals who meet the needs of the field.

The government plans to finalize the semiconductor ecosystem support plan announced today by making it more specific by June and to prepare a "system semiconductor growth strategy" by August.

In particular, more than 70% of this support plan will be provided to small and medium-sized enterprises.