The government confirmed on September 30 that 200 billion Korean won from next year’s 1.5 trillion-won allocation for the Southwest Semiconductor Cluster will support housing and settlement conditions for workers at companies and institutions entering the area. The funding is part of the newly established Special Account for Strengthening Semiconductor Industry Competitiveness, alongside allocations for infrastructure, workforce development and industry research. The government is reviewing monthly-rent assistance and apartment construction for employees relocating from the capital region to Honam, where Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are among the companies expected to build semiconductor fabs. President Lee Jae Myung defended the measure in an X post shared on the 1st, arguing that worker support is necessary to ease capital-region concentration, address labor shortages and encourage regional settlement. The post drew more than 400 supportive and critical comments. Critics, including People Power Party Representative Choi Soo-jin, questioned whether taxpayers should fund housing for employees of large companies and whether eligibility rules had been established before the budget was set aside.