ChartKo guide · KEPCO · K-water
How to read semiconductor location data
Which matters more: power, water, land or people? Adjust nine sliders and explore how the example scores for six regions change.
Grid, water, wastewater, land, ecosystem, talent, balanced growth, logistics, and long-run risk
Explore with the slidersFrame
Separate the evidence from the conditions to verify
These nine questions are ChartKo’s framework for reading location data. Statistics provide a starting point; they do not replace site-specific supply agreements or permits.
Is actual power receiving capacity sufficient, not just generation volume?
Compare industrial power use, manufacturing demand, generation capacity, and substation infrastructure.
Power plant distance alone cannot determine semiconductor location strength.
Can stable industrial water be secured over the long run?
Separate waterworks capacity, supply volume, regional waterworks, and industrial water supply.
Waterworks capacity can differ from water actually available for semiconductor-grade industrial use.
Can used water be treated and discharged safely?
Compare wastewater generation, discharge, treatment capacity, and water-quality data.
General wastewater statistics do not guarantee semiconductor wastewater treatment feasibility.
Is cluster infrastructure ready beyond having large land?
Compare industrial complex area, sale rate, tenant firms, production, and employment.
Industrial complex area may not mean immediately available buildable land.
Can suppliers and manufacturing capabilities connect to the fab?
Review electronics, chemical materials, machinery, metal, electrical equipment, logistics, and technical services.
A weaker current ecosystem can still become a new industrial axis through large-scale investment.
Are people and research foundations available after construction?
Compare manufacturing employment, technical occupations, R&D spending, patents, universities, and youth migration.
Population indicators do not include possible inflows after large investment.
Can investment need and operating feasibility be explained together?
Review youth share, working-age population, migration, population projections, and aging.
Balanced-growth need and corporate operating feasibility are not the same thing.
Can equipment, materials, and component supply chains connect reliably?
Compare highways, ports, airports, rail, logistics hubs, and existing semiconductor cluster access.
Actual travel time and supply-chain reliability matter more than straight-line distance.
What are the long-run risks for a fixed asset operated for decades?
Review flood, inundation, earthquake, heat, drought, landslide, and disaster-damage history.
Disaster risk is a way to identify needed mitigation investment, not simply exclude a region.
Compare
Weights change the viewpoint
Which matters more: power, water, land or people? Adjust nine sliders and explore how the example scores for six regions change.
Illustrative simulation scores. The six regional profiles use fixed example values for exploring trade-offs. They are not calculated from measured statistics and are not official location rankings.
Overall score = sum of example score × weight ÷ sum of weights. An axis with weight 0 is excluded.
Increase at least one weight. An overall comparison cannot be calculated when every weight is 0.
Example · Weighted regional comparison
Example · Top-region condition radar
Example · Condition matrix by region
Example · Operational feasibility and balanced-growth need
Operating stability Check bottlenecks in grid, water, wastewater, ecosystem, and talent first.
Water and land Compare whether large-scale industrial water and industrial land can be secured together.
Ecosystem and talent Check whether suppliers and skilled labor reduce early operating risk.
Balanced growth Compare investment need with the gap in operating readiness.
Regions
Regional context and example scores
Read regional context alongside illustrative scores. These reference notes were compiled on 2026-06-28; they do not establish current supply capacity or explain how the example scores were derived.
Seoul · Gyeonggi · Incheon
Capital Region
Talent, R&D, suppliers, and logistics access are strong, but large land and additional infrastructure burden need separate review.
- Power: It is the demand center of the national grid. KEPCO's 765kV corridors such as Shinseosan-Shinanseong, Shintaebaek-Shingapyeong, and Shinanseong-Shingapyeong move bulk power toward the region.
- Water: The Paldang regional water system has 3 intake plants, 4 treatment plants, and 8.58 million m³/day of capacity serving 25 cities and counties in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon.
- Reading: Demand experience and talent are strong, while land cost, permitting, and incremental substation headroom can become bottlenecks.
Industrial ecosystem · Talent and R&D · Logistics access
Land and industrial complexes · Population and balanced growth · Water
Operating stability rises when additional grid and water intake, land cost, and permitting burdens are addressed.
Daejeon · Sejong · Chungbuk · Chungnam
Chungcheong Region
Existing manufacturing axes, capital-region linkage, and land conditions appear together, while grid and water headroom for new demand need detailed review.
- Power: The Dangjin-Shinseosan-Shinanseong 765kV corridor runs 175.9km and carries west-coast generation toward central Korea and the capital region.
- Water: K-water systems to review include Daecheong 1,484 thousand m³/day, Asan industrial water 570 thousand m³/day, Chungju 450 thousand m³/day, and Boryeong 285.2 thousand m³/day.
- Reading: The case is persuasive because generation corridors, bulk transmission, industrial water, and Cheonan-Asan-Cheongju-Ochang industrial demand experience overlap.
Power grid · Land and industrial complexes · Industrial ecosystem
Wastewater · Population and balanced growth · Talent and R&D
The expansion case strengthens as grid upgrades and water and wastewater plans become concrete.
Gwangju · Jeonbuk · Jeonnam
Honam Region
Water, land, and balanced-growth need can be read relatively strongly, while semiconductor ecosystem and high-skill talent may be bottlenecks.
- Power: EPSIS lists Honam renewable market-participating capacity at 6,786MW in Jeonnam and 1,682MW in Jeonbuk. Jeonnam also has the 5,900MW Hanbit nuclear plant.
- Water: Main systems include Juam 596 thousand m³/day, Gwangyang-Yeocheon industrial water 1,080 thousand m³/day, Jeonju 700 thousand m³/day, and Gunsan industrial water 130 thousand m³/day.
- Reading: Abundant renewables still require grid upgrades, storage, backup supply, and substation capacity for a 24-hour semiconductor load.
Land and industrial complexes · Water · Population and balanced growth
Industrial ecosystem · Talent and R&D · Power grid
Policy effect and operating feasibility rise together when supplier attraction and university/R&D investment move in parallel.
Daegu · Gyeongbuk
Daegyeong Region
Electronics and machinery manufacturing bases and inland logistics are present, but semiconductor-specific infrastructure and long-run risk need review.
- Power: Gyeongbuk has Hanul 5,900MW and Shin-Hanul 2,800MW nuclear capacity, and EPSIS shows 3,752MW of renewable market-participating capacity.
- Water: Systems to review include Gumi 400 thousand m³/day, Geumhogang 376 thousand m³/day, Pohang industrial water 295 thousand m³/day, and Pohang regional water 161.2 thousand m³/day.
- Reading: Nuclear and electronics manufacturing bases are strong, but site-level substation, water, and wastewater infrastructure remain decisive.
Industrial ecosystem · Land and industrial complexes · Logistics access
Disaster and long-run risk · Talent and R&D · Power grid
The key question is how quickly the existing manufacturing base can convert into a semiconductor supply chain.
Busan · Ulsan · Gyeongnam
Southeast Region
Ports and heavy-manufacturing capacity are strong, while semiconductor-specific talent and disaster or climate risk need separate review.
- Power: Yeongnam has roughly 20,150MW of operating nuclear capacity across Kori 2,550MW, Shin-Kori 2,000MW, Saeul 2,800MW, Wolsong 2,100MW, Shin-Wolsong 2,000MW, Hanul 5,900MW, and Shin-Hanul 2,800MW.
- Water: Main systems include Ulsan industrial water 1,325 thousand m³/day, Changwon industrial water 285 thousand m³/day, Namgang 325 thousand m³/day, and Miryang 150 thousand m³/day.
- Reading: Nuclear, port, and heavy-industry infrastructure are strong, while semiconductor talent and long-run disaster and climate risk need review.
Logistics access · Industrial ecosystem · Land and industrial complexes
Disaster and long-run risk · Talent and R&D · Water
Mitigation matters: connect logistics strength to equipment and materials supply chains while lowering long-run operating risk.
Gangwon
Gangwon Region
Balanced-growth need is high, but the existing ecosystem, talent base, and logistics access should be treated as early operating risks.
- Power: Review the east-coast generation axis together with the 154.9km Shintaebaek-Shingapyeong and 46.5km Uljin-Shintaebaek 765kV transmission corridors.
- Water: Main Han River basin systems include Chungju 450 thousand m³/day, Wonju 105 thousand m³/day, Taebaek 80 thousand m³/day, and Hoengseong Dam 100 thousand m³/day.
- Reading: Power and water axes exist, but building a large semiconductor ecosystem, workforce, and logistics base would require a larger package.
Population and balanced growth · Land and industrial complexes · Water
Industrial ecosystem · Talent and R&D · Logistics access
The candidate-site logic grows when grid, transport, and talent development are presented as a long-term package.
Sources
Data sources and interpretation limits
A checklist of data to consult for an actual location study. These statistics are not connected to the example scores above. Check reference periods and site-specific conditions in the original sources.
| Axis | Source | Data | Unit | Caveat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power grid | KOSIS · KEPCO · KPX/EPSIS | Industrial power use, generation, generation capacity, substation infrastructureMonthly and annual statistics to connect | MWh, MW, facilities | Power use does not directly mean available supply capacity. |
| Water and wastewater | KOSIS · K-water · Ministry of Environment | Waterworks capacity, supply volume, industrial water, wastewater generation and discharge, treatment capacityAnnual regional statistics and agency data | m³/day, m³, facilities | Water supply and wastewater treatment must be reviewed together, and semiconductor-process suitability needs separate review. |
| Land and industrial complexes | Industrial Complex Corp. · KOSIS · MOLIT | Industrial complex area, sale rate, tenant firms, production, employment, land useQuarterly and annual industrial complex status | km², %, firms, people | Large land does not automatically mean suitability for a semiconductor cluster. |
| Industrial ecosystem | KOSIS · Factory registration public data | Related manufacturers, workers, shipments, value added, professional technical servicesBusiness census and mining/manufacturing survey to connect | firms, people, T KRW | A strong manufacturing ecosystem can help early operations, but it should be separated from future policy effects. |
| Talent and R&D | KOSIS · Higher Education in Korea · KIPO | Manufacturing jobs, R&D spending, patents, engineering graduates, youth migrationAnnual regional statistics | people, T KRW, cases | The argument that investment creates talent and the risk of weak initial talent can both be true. |
| Population structure | KOSIS · SGIS | Population, working-age population, youth share, net migration, aging rate, population projectionMonthly and annual population statistics | people, %, people | Balanced-growth need and corporate operating feasibility are both important judgment criteria. |
| Logistics | MOLIT · Port authorities · Airport operators · VWorld | Highways, ports, airports, rail, logistics hubs, access to existing clustersSpatial analysis enhancement target | km, minutes, cargo volume | Logistics access should be read as travel time and supply-chain reliability, not only distance. |
| Disaster risk | MOIS · KMA · Safety Map | Inundation, flood, earthquake, landslide, heat, drought, disaster-damage historySpatial risk data to connect | grade, cases, damage amount | Disaster risk is a guide to mitigation investment, not a reason by itself to rule out a region. |
Being near a power plant and being able to supply a semiconductor fab reliably are different questions.
Water supply and wastewater treatment must be reviewed together.
Illustrative simulation scores. The six regional profiles use fixed example values for exploring trade-offs. They are not calculated from measured statistics and are not official location rankings.
Example scores: ChartKo comparison simulation. Regional reference notes compiled: 2026-06-28. Read measured statistics separately from simulation scores.
Before turning numbers into a location decision
Scale, available supply and commissioning dates answer different questions. Compare the same years and geographic boundaries before checking site-specific conditions.
Generating capacity is not spare grid capacity
KEPCO’s transmission and distribution overview explains how lines and substations deliver electricity and change voltage. Regional generating capacity alone cannot establish how much power a new factory can receive.
Distinguish installed capacity (MW), energy generated over a period (MWh) and the factory’s peak demand. Check the connection point, supply start date and planned grid upgrades against the factory schedule.
Industrial water and ultrapure water are different measures
K-water’s commercialization report describes water quality and production technology required by the semiconductor industry. The capacity of an intake or treatment plant is not the volume of ultrapure water available to a particular factory.
When comparing daily capacity, check existing supply commitments, drought conditions, ultrapure-water treatment and wastewater handling. Without these conditions, a larger plant does not establish a location advantage.
Check minimum conditions before weighting advantages
Imagine two hypothetical sites: one has more land and the other more suppliers. If either cannot secure enough electricity or water by its opening date, its other strengths cannot by themselves cover that shortfall.
Start with minimum supply and treatment requirements, then compare costs, workers, logistics and expansion potential. This is a reading example, not a score or ranking of actual regions.
References and scope
The references below explain electricity networks and ultrapure water. ChartKo wrote the nine-question framework and commentary; this guide does not evaluate a specific candidate site.
- KEPCO · Transmission, substations and distribution (Korean)
- K-water · Domestic ultrapure-water commercialization (Korean)
Please send corrections with a link to the original reference. contact@chartko.com