President Lee Jae-myung on the 29th said, "Semiconductors, physical AI, and AI data centers are the three pillars for a great leap forward," and emphasized, "We must secure an overwhelming supply volume with large-scale new investment in the southwest region to match the explosively growing demand for semiconductors."
The president that afternoon at the National Briefing on the Three Mega Projects held at the Blue House said, "We must secure overwhelming competitiveness in advanced technology sectors such as semiconductors and AI, and ensure that the fruits of growth achieved through this are spread evenly to all people nationwide."
He then said he would build a new semiconductor supply site in South Jeolla and Gwangju (southwestern region) to establish a Korea-style AI ecosystem. The president said, "The sites centered on Yongin and Pyeongtaek have already reached their limits," adding, "We must firmly develop a new site with water, power, inexpensive and stable land, and established infrastructure."
The president said, "As inefficiencies from concentration intensify, the capital area is on the verge of explosion while the provinces face the risk of extinction. Balanced national development has become Korea's core survival strategy," adding, "As the Honam region has long been excluded from development, it has in turn become a source of opportunity. We must develop the southwest coast, rich in water and renewable energy, into a new site."
The president also stressed that corporations' investment in the southwestern region is a decision made from the perspective of growth and profit. The president said, "From the national standpoint, balanced development is important, but from the corporate standpoint, growth and profit are important," adding, "Through government support, we will build infrastructure and, through tax support and every other possible form of assistance, make corporations conclude that this area is far more advantageous—that is what the government must do."
The president said, "As some fear, it is not the government's role to force losses and risks on corporations to push through national needs; rather, the government must massively deploy its capabilities so corporations can invest without losses and with better prospects." The president added, "To create a large-scale industrial belt, enormous infrastructure support is needed, and the Gwangju–South Jeolla region has expressed its position that, through integration, it can invest from as little as 5 trillion won to as much as 20 trillion won."
The president emphasized, "The results of the three mega projects will be responsible for the next 20 to 30 years of Korea," adding, "I will appoint a Director under my direct control at the Blue House to oversee this initiative, and I will personally manage and execute the three mega projects swiftly."