Lee vows to complete 'Korean-style AI industrial revolution' led by regions

President Lee Jae Myung said Monday that the government, Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and other global chipmakers would press ahead with sweeping semiconductor investment under the so-called "Three Mega Projects," pledging to "complete a Korean-style AI industrial revolution that spreads to the world, led by the regions," alongside officials, business leaders and experts gathered for the occasion.

Lee presided over the "Three Mega Projects for South Korea's Great Leap Forward" national briefing at Cheong Wa Dae. He said he felt pride that "by massively committing the national capabilities we possess, and by fully mobilizing the capacity of local governments, we have opened up new possibilities and a new future" — even as he acknowledged the investment decisions ultimately rested with the companies themselves.

He added that among all he had accomplished, "the achievement of today, Monday, stands as the greatest national and historic result."

Turning to Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, who attended the briefing, Lee said he could not help but express his gratitude to both. He also thanked business leaders across South Korean industry who were not present, saying the government would "fully support the momentous decision for transformation that you have made."

On the broader contest between nations and companies in AI, Lee said the world was now in "a true moment of reckoning, where the entire landscape of the global economy is being shaken."

He said major powers including the United States and China were engaged in a life-or-death competition to claim what he called "the new continent of AI" in an "age of great AI voyages," with "astronomical levels of corporate investment and government support combining into a contest between nations."

Lee said the global AI competition was "both a total war and a localized one," with the front lines of national rivalry expanding endlessly — spanning semiconductors for computation and inference, AI data centers for processing vast amounts of data, physical AI to realize AI in the real world, and basic infrastructure such as power and water.

He said "an era is opening in which pages turn in the blink of an eye," adding that "speed alone is the path to survival."

Lee said South Korea must "secure the core elements of AI faster than any other country," describing semiconductors, physical AI and AI data centers as "the three pillars for a great leap forward." He called for the full concentration of government and private-sector capacity to "build a Korean-style AI ecosystem at speed, binding these three into one."

Lee also made the case for AI infrastructure investment in the Honam region on Monday. He said production bases currently under way must be completed quickly to meet "explosively growing semiconductor demand," and that "overwhelmingly superior supply capacity must be secured in advance through large-scale new investment in the southwestern region and elsewhere."

He noted that existing sites centered on Yongin and Pyeongtaek "are already approaching their limits" in terms of power and water, and said planned fabs must be completed swiftly and at a pace well ahead of current schedules.

Lee said a new site must be firmly developed — one equipped with water, power, affordable and stable land, and the necessary infrastructure — pointing to the need for semiconductor investment in the Honam region.

Stressing the importance of balanced national development, Lee said the Honam region in particular could not be overlooked. While investment plans for the Yeongnam, Gangwon Province and Chungcheong regions would also be announced that day, he said Honam had in some ways become "a factor of opportunity" precisely because it had long been left out of development.

He said the southwestern coastal belt was "rich in water and particularly abundant in renewable energy," and that the region — with its plentiful power, water and affordable land — should be developed as a new site.

Lee also said investment in the Honam region aligned with corporate profit. Acknowledging that "growth and profit matter most to companies," he said the government's role was to build infrastructure through public support and offer tax incentives and all other available assistance, "so that companies can judge this region to be far more advantageous."

Lee said the announcement carried "special significance in that the goals of balanced development and the demand for new AI and semiconductor hubs coincide."

Addressing criticism from some quarters that the government was "twisting companies' arms," Lee said the government's role was not to force losses and risks on companies in pursuit of national goals, but to "commit the government's full capacity so that companies can invest with better prospects and without suffering losses."

Lee also spoke to the investment capacity of the Gwangju and South Jeolla Province local governments. He said building a large-scale industrial belt would require "enormous infrastructure construction and support," and that the central government could not manage this alone — local government matching funds would be needed. He said the Gwangju-South Jeolla region had indicated it could invest anywhere from 5 trillion won ($3.24 billion) to as much as the full 20 trillion won in funding tied to the regional integration, adding that "our room for judgment and action is very large."

Lee said the achievements built up by South Korea's industrial pioneers — "from cutting-edge memory chips to a stable power grid and a strong manufacturing base" — had now become "a firm springboard for the leap to becoming an AI powerhouse." He said the results of the Three Mega Projects "will be responsible for South Korea's next 20 to 30 years."

He said the government "will not shy away from any innovation necessary, from overhauling policies and laws to designing this transformative change."

Lee also unveiled plans to create a new internal organization at Cheong Wa Dae to oversee the mega projects, saying he would place "a directly supervised director for this project inside Cheong Wa Dae" to personally manage and swiftly execute all three initiatives.

In closing, Lee expressed his gratitude once more on behalf of the Korean people to business leaders "who have made such a momentous decision for a better future for the nation and our people," saying simply, "I am truly grateful."