Hyundai Motor Group will invest 9 trillion won ($6.3 billion) in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province—the largest single-company investment in the region's history—to build an advanced industrial hub encompassing artificial intelligence, robotics, and renewable energy including hydrogen and solar power.
The project will develop a 1.124 million square meter site, equivalent to 157 soccer fields, housing an AI data center, robot manufacturing plant, and water electrolysis facility. Officials project the creation of approximately 70,000 new jobs and economic ripple effects of 16 trillion won.
Hyundai Motor Group signed a memorandum of understanding with the central government and North Jeolla Special Self-Governing Province on January 27 at the Saemangeum Convention Center in Gunsan. The agreement covers investment in fostering advanced robotics and hydrogen industries and developing a hydrogen-powered AI city.
Approximately 200 attendees included President Lee Jae-myung, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Chung Euisun, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan, and Saemangeum Development Agency Administrator Kim Eui-kyeom.
"Hyundai Motor Group, nurtured by the nation and its people together, is launching a massive investment in Saemangeum," President Lee said. "This will completely transform the economic map of the entire Honam region."
The president added that the late founder "Chairman Chung Ju-yung would be proud," pledging that "the government will respond to the company's bold decision with even bolder support."
Administrator Kim conveyed Executive Chairman Chung's remarks: "I want to develop Saemangeum beyond Ulsan."
Hyundai Motor will invest approximately 5.8 trillion won to construct an AI data center supporting autonomous vehicle and robotics learning. The facility will deploy 50,000 Blackwell graphics processing units previously secured from Nvidia.
The group will also establish Korea's largest water electrolysis plant for green hydrogen production at a cost of 1 trillion won, along with the nation's first robot manufacturing factory producing wearable robots and other products for 400 billion won.
Additionally, Hyundai plans to build solar power generation facilities worth 1.3 trillion won to supply renewable energy-based electricity and invest 400 billion won in creating a hydrogen-based AI future city.
