Ryu Jin, chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), called for thorough government support to ensure the success of the three megaprojects, a large-scale semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) investment plan. Ryu also stressed that the public and private sectors should join forces on the "New K-Industry" strategy, which looks 30 years ahead to secure new industrial growth engines.
Ryu attended the launch ceremony of the "New K-Industry Forum" as a forum co-chair, held on the 9th at the FKI Tower in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. "Through the three megaprojects, bold investment and seamless infrastructure support must be provided in the semiconductor, AI data center, and physical AI fields," he said. "What matters most to us now is the speed of execution and the completeness of government support."
The three megaprojects are a plan to build regional hubs for semiconductors, AI data centers, and physical AI across the country with a total investment of 4,700 trillion won, including an 800 trillion won Samsung Electronics and SK hynix semiconductor cluster in the Jeonnam-Gwangju region. Ryu's message is that, now that companies have decided on their investment plans, it is time for the government to step in and focus on institutional and infrastructure support such as permits, deregulation, and talent acquisition.
Ryu also said the New K-Industry mid- to long-term roadmap would be developed jointly by the public and private sectors to identify another megaproject. The New K-Industry is a public-private joint project aimed at transforming the industrial structure from a catch-up model to an innovation-driven one and securing future industries ahead of competitors. Ryu and Moon Sung-wook, former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will serve as co-chairs, with 26 people participating as advisory members, including Kim Chang-seob, chairman of the Electricity Commission at the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment; Kim Yu-won, CEO of Naver Cloud; and Ko Jung-hee, CEO of Kakao Entertainment. The plan is to pursue a "3+1 strategy" spanning industry-wide AI transformation, eco-friendly green transformation (GX), service innovation (SX), and the institutional and infrastructure innovation (IX) to support them.
"The New K-Industry is a project that looks 30 years ahead to fundamentally design and innovate our industry," Ryu said. "Just as Samsung founder Lee Byung-chul announced the birth of a semiconductor powerhouse with the Feb. 8 Tokyo Declaration in 1983, we hope our forum will become the cornerstone of a new era." He added, "The FKI will also work closely with the government to consolidate the capabilities of businesses."
Moon also assessed that "the global economy is shifting from the era of WTO free trade to a new competitive paradigm centered on economic security, where technology and supply chains have become national survival strategies." He added, "This period of upheaval is both a threat to us and an opportunity to create new leverage in the global market."
