President Lee calls for bold rule overhaul to accelerate mega industrial complex projects

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday called for sweeping changes to laws, regulations and guidelines to accelerate the country's flagship national projects, ordering officials to push ahead with bold decisions that go beyond existing rules. At the third public-private joint review meeting on mega projects, held at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee directed authorities to significantly advance the timeline for the temporary relocation of the Gwangju military airport and urged comprehensive measures to attract talent and build an AI ecosystem.

Cheong Wa Dae Chief Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung briefed reporters at the Chunchugwan that afternoon on the results of the closed-door meeting chaired by the president.

After receiving reports from the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on plans to improve living conditions in regions tied to the mega projects, Lee said demand surveys would be critical for cultural infrastructure and asked officials to carefully assess both effectiveness and efficiency. He added that in the areas of education and healthcare, the government should "actively move in the direction of allowing whatever factors can attract people to the regions."

Lee also listened to business concerns on the ground and immediately directed officials to ease restrictions on recruiting skilled foreign workers. He asked Kim Yong-gwan, president of Samsung Electronics, who attended the meeting, whether there were any practical proposals to improve living conditions for corporate employees, heard about difficulties related to hiring foreign workers, and directed officials to review expanding the range of schools eligible under the K-Tech Pass program.

On the key obstacles to building a southern semiconductor mega cluster, Lee demanded aggressive action. After receiving briefings from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy on the progress of advanced industrial complex site development — and reviewing water and power supply chains — Lee was briefed by the Ministry of National Defense on its plan for the temporary relocation of the Gwangju military airport and pushed hard for faster action. Kang said Lee called the mid-2028 target completion date for the temporary relocation too late and directed officials to review how much it could be brought forward. "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures," Lee said, adding that officials should consider amending laws or revising regulations and guidelines if necessary.

Lee also stressed the need for the government to create an early domestic market for AI and robotics. After receiving reports from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Science and ICT on plans to expand AI robots and physical AI that citizens can experience firsthand, as well as plans to build AI data centers, Lee said purchasing initial production volumes of AI robots is itself a form of policy support, and that building the ecosystem through early procurement is important and needs to be communicated to the public. He also suggested holding open briefings for the press as one way to get the message out.