[비즈한국] President Lee Jae-myung has personally drawn a line against political interpretations surrounding the 'Three Major Mega-Projects for the Great Leap of the Republic of Korea.' He stated that these are not events intended to boost approval ratings, but long-term strategies for balanced national development and the cultivation of AI and semiconductor industries. While the government is holding regional public briefings to announce a series of investment plans from major conglomerates such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, LG, and Hanwha, mixed reactions are emerging from the regions where these investments are slated.
On the 4th, President Lee Jae-myung stated on his personal social network service (SNS) that the three major mega-projects are not political tools. President Lee said, "While approval ratings are important, the outcomes and achievements that improve the lives of the people are more important. Approval ratings naturally follow outcomes and achievements," adding, "If the three mega-projects were political tools for managing approval ratings, they would have been started before the local elections."
President Lee noted, "Since taking office, I have been preparing at the national level for large-scale local investment and development for balanced growth, and have requested cooperation from the business sector, but there was no momentum. Recently, the government's investment policy and the positive reorganization of the AI semiconductor industry have aligned, making local investment possible," adding, "The three major mega-projects for balanced development, inclusive sustainable growth, and the construction of an irreplaceable Republic of Korea will create new hope and a future for the people and the nation."
These remarks follow recent reports analyzing the three major mega-projects as an opportunity to rebound the President's approval ratings amidst a downward trend. Surveys conducted after the announcement showed a slight rise in approval ratings. In a survey released by Gallup Korea on July 3 (conducted June 30–July 2, 1,005 respondents aged 18 and older nationwide), 54% of respondents evaluated the President's job performance positively, a 3 percentage point increase from the previous survey.
The three major mega-projects involve large-scale investments in three fields: semiconductors, physical AI, and data centers. The core is to establish semiconductor and AI production hubs in each region—such as the Honam, Chungcheong, and Yeongnam regions—and link them with long-term investments. The goal of the projects is to grow semiconductor and AI-related industries and strengthen the ecosystem. So far, several domestic major corporations including Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, Hanwha, and LG have announced plans to invest in the three major mega-projects.
On the 3rd, the 'Yeongnam Region Advanced Industry Development Vision Public Briefing' was held in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do, attended by companies, the government, the industry, and related organizations. It is an extension of the three major mega-projects public briefings. The event included announcements of major companies' investment plans for the Yeongnam region, introductions to the Yeongnam region's advanced industry vision, announcements of strategies for fostering the aerospace industry, and an investment memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony between companies and central/local governments. Hanwha, Hyundai Motor, Samsung, SK, Doosan, and LG unveiled investment plans for the Yeongnam region worth 312 trillion won.
President Lee, who attended the briefing, said, "If we fuse advanced technologies and industries such as physical AI and aerospace onto Yeongnam's solid manufacturing base, the Republic of Korea will surely lead the future global market," and added, "Along with large-scale investments in next-generation semiconductors and AI data centers, we will focus on fostering the physical AI field, including robot industry innovation belts, automobiles, and shipbuilding, to reshape manufacturing sites into intelligent industries."
At the first briefing on June 29, the government announced the '3S+1F Strategy' to build semiconductor production hubs in the metropolitan area, the southwest region, and the Chungcheong region. The strategy is to provide full-support, centered on the three pillars of Speed, Stronghold, and Spearhead. Speed and Stronghold involve establishing production bases in the metropolitan area and local regions, while Spearhead involves supporting fields that currently have small markets but growth potential, such as defense semiconductors, over the next 15 years. The full-support system refers to the collaboration of related entities such as companies, universities, and central/local governments.
The government has been announcing investment plans sequentially by region. The speed strategy, which aims to complete semiconductor production bases early, will be carried out in the metropolitan area. The plan is to shorten the final fab completion time for the Yongin national industrial complex and general industrial complex to double memory production capacity within 5 years.
The stronghold strategy expands semiconductor production bases nationwide; it establishes semiconductor fabs (semiconductor manufacturing facilities), partner companies, and human resource ecosystems in the southwest region, and fosters the Chungcheong region as a packaging hub for expanding the semiconductor back-end process ecosystem. The Southeast and Daegu-Gyeongbuk regions are being created as innovation hubs for semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment to stabilize the supply chain.
The government held public briefings by region and signed MOUs for investment with companies. At the 'Southwest Region Advanced Industry Development Vision Public Briefing' held on June 30, companies including SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics, and Amkor unveiled an 896 trillion won investment plan for building a second semiconductor production base. On July 2, a briefing for the Chungcheong region was held in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, forecasting 392 trillion won in investments from companies like Samsung, SK Hynix, and Celltrion.
Regions where these briefings were held are set to secure production hubs for future growth engines in AI and semiconductors and attract large-scale private investments, but they are issuing mixed positions. South Chungcheong Governor Park Soo-hyun said on June 29, "It will be a historic turning point that provides new opportunities to marginalized regions and achieves balanced national development," adding, "We will build a one-stop administrative support system from site acquisition to simplification of permits so that corporate investments can bear fruit quickly in South Chungcheong."
On the other hand, Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho stated in a position paper on the 3rd, "I deeply agree with the government's policy direction to alleviate concentration in the metropolitan area and foster advanced industry growth bases in non-metropolitan areas," but added, "What citizens are most curious about is not the scale of investment, but what criteria and procedures led to the decision. Please explain transparently what criteria were used to review the candidate sites during the selection process for the semiconductor fab location, and what procedures were followed to reach the conclusion."