Lee unveils '3 mega-projects' for semiconductors, AI and robots across South Korea's regions

President Lee Jae Myung will hold a national briefing Monday afternoon alongside Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and other industry leaders to unveil large-scale investment plans for the Honam, Yeongnam and Chungcheong regions under what the government is calling the "three mega-projects."

The event is designed to present the Lee administration's strategy for building a decisive industrial edge at a time when countries around the world are strengthening domestic industrial policies to secure growth engines. The three mega-projects — covering semiconductors, physical AI and AI data centers — are expected to draw a combined 2,000 trillion won ($1.3 trillion) in investment over the next decade.

The president will open the briefing at 2 p.m. Monday at Cheong Wa Dae's Yeongbingwan banquet hall under the theme "From Recovery to Great Leap: Korea with an Unassailable Edge."

Attendees include Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, GS Vice Chairman Hong Sun-ki, Doosan Enerbility Vice Chairman Jeong Yeon-in and representatives from 70 companies in the AI industry.

Following the president's opening remarks, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Gyeong-hun will present sector-by-sector plans for the three mega-projects covering semiconductors, physical AI and AI data centers. Minister of Climate, Environment and Energy Kim Sung-hwan and Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Yun-deok will then outline power and water supply plans to support the projects, along with strategies for developing regional hub cities.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee and SK Group Chairman Chey will each present their groups' regional investment plans directly, after which all participants will take part in an open discussion.

The centerpiece of Monday's briefing is the creation of a Honam semiconductor cluster. Samsung Electronics and SK Group are expected to build four or more advanced front-end semiconductor fabrication plants in the Gwangju and South Jeolla Province area.

Given that a single fabrication plant typically requires between 60 trillion won and 150 trillion won to build, the semiconductor cluster investment alone is expected to reach around 500 trillion won.

For the Chungcheong region, the briefing is set to announce investment plans for large-scale AI data centers — which require enormous amounts of power — as well as a semiconductor back-end processing hub.

Investment plans for the Yeongnam region will also be announced, with the outlines of a physical AI — including robotics — regional hub investment plan in South Gyeongsang Province expected to emerge.

Monday's briefing also marks the formal launch of the Lee administration's "5-pole, 3-special" national balanced-development strategy.

The event formalizes a vision that goes beyond simply attracting corporate investment. The government aims to shift South Korea's growth axis away from the Greater Seoul area toward a multi-polar system by redistributing advanced industries, talent, and energy and transport infrastructure across regions.

In the lead-up to the briefing, President Lee met separately with SK Group Chairman Chey on June 19 and with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee on June 25 at Cheong Wa Dae to coordinate the investment plans.

Government and corporate officials are also expected to continue making investment announcements at individual project sites following Monday's briefing.

A series of follow-up events is planned at investment sites across the country. A joint public-private investment announcement in Gwangju for the southwestern region, attended by Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee and SK Group Chairman Chey, is scheduled for Tuesday, followed by an investment briefing at Samsung Display's facility in Asan on Wednesday with Chairman Lee, and a physical AI investment presentation in Jinju on Thursday.

Cheong Wa Dae Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom recently said the government plans to hold a series of regional follow-up briefings after the national mega-projects event.

Cheong Wa Dae has actively rebuffed criticism — primarily from conservative opposition circles — that the government is twisting the arms of large conglomerates to steer investment into the Honam region, insisting the plans serve the goal of balanced national development and reflect the companies' own business judgment.

Cheong Wa Dae political affairs chief Hong Ik-pyo pushed back on that criticism in an SBS radio interview Monday. "Global conglomerates these days don't go just anywhere because someone twists their arm," he said. "A semiconductor cluster is an investment made with a horizon of not 10 or 20 years, but decades."

"There are sufficient economic benefits, and the companies' own business and management judgment comes first," Hong said. "What is needed is for the central and local governments to determine how much support and partnership they can offer."

On the criteria that made Honam the preferred location, Hong pointed to land, power, water, research institutions and talent. "The most important factor is, first, land," he said. "On power — the Honam region currently has considerable surplus capacity."

He also cited the region's strong renewable energy competitiveness. "Looking at Honam as a whole, there is about 130 percent or more in surplus power, and Gwangju alone has around 170 percent," he said. "The RE100 requirement is particularly favorable for Honam — semiconductor processes consume a great deal of power, and more importantly, that power must come from renewable energy sources."

On water supply concerns, Hong said studies had confirmed that sufficient water could be provided through the Yeongsan and Seomjin rivers. "For companies, power and water are fundamental, so sufficient review and alternatives have already been worked out on these issues," he said.

President Lee also pushed back directly against criticism that the government is promoting Honam semiconductor investment for political reasons, posting seven times on social media over the weekend to make his case.