President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a meeting on strategies to foster innovative companies in future security technologies at the presidential office in Seoul on Friday. (Pool Photo via Yonhap) President Lee Jae-myung on Saturday pushed back against concerns that South Korea’s southwestern Honam region may lack enough water to support possible semiconductor investments by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, saying the region has sufficient resources if they are properly managed.“Honam has enough water, just as Yeongnam and the Seoul metropolitan area do,” Lee wrote on X, sharing a report on the government’s review of industrial water supply measures for the region.Lee said studies had shown that up to 1 million tons of industrial water a day could be secured by establishing proper management systems and reallocating water resources.“Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are not foolish enough to plan ultra-large factories in a region that lacks water, an essential element for semiconductor production, without review,” Lee wrote. “The government also does not encourage companies to build plants in areas without water.”His remarks came two days before a presidential briefing scheduled for Monday, where Lee is expected to present what he has described as three major national growth projects. Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Samsung chip chief Jun Young-hyun and SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung are expected to attend.While no final investment plan has been announced, political and industry circles have speculated that the briefing could include major semiconductor projects in Honam as part of the Lee administration’s regional balanced development agenda.The broader plan is expected to focus on industrial specialization by region, with Honam discussed as a possible semiconductor base, Yeongnam as a physical AI belt for aerospace and robotics, and Gangwon and Chungcheong as sites for gigawatt-scale integrated AI data centers.Lee called for cooperation beyond partisan lines, saying balanced regional development and nationwide coexistence are tied to Korea’s future.Presidential policy chief Kim Yong-beom also defended the feasibility of securing water for possible industrial projects in Honam, saying the region has enough resources when dam reserves, unused allocated water, large agricultural reservoirs, storage facilities and reclaimed wastewater are included.“The issue is not whether there is water,” Kim wrote on Facebook. “It is how to design national-level water infrastructure.”Kim said the government is reviewing ways to secure 1 million tons of industrial water a day through established measures such as raising dam capacity and reallocating agricultural water.