President Lee Jae-myung on the 29th stressed that to meet explosively growing demand for semiconductors, "we must secure overwhelming supply capacity through large-scale new investment in the southwestern region and beyond." Lee pledged, "If I may make one special promise, I will place an official directly in charge of this project within the presidential office, and I will personally oversee these three mega-projects and ensure their swift execution."
Lee made the remarks at the "Korea's Great Leap Three Mega-Projects National Report Session" held at the presidential office that day, saying, "In this second year of my administration, I will make this year the start of an irreplaceable Korean dream that no other country in the world can replace." He added, "The most critical task for this is a great leap toward becoming an industrial powerhouse with a super-gap lead," and raised his voice, saying, "We must secure overwhelming competitiveness in cutting-edge technology fields such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure that the fruits of the growth achieved through this spread evenly to all citizens nationwide and are felt by all citizens."
Lee emphasized that "only a speed battle is the way to survive." He explained, "We must secure the core elements of artificial intelligence faster than any other country," and "semiconductors, physical AI, and AI data centers are the three pillars for the great leap." He repeatedly stressed, "We must bind these together and concentrate all government and private-sector capabilities on building a Korean-style artificial intelligence ecosystem with speed."
He then said, "There is one thing I particularly want to emphasize." Lee said it was "the strategic approach to and utilization of regions," and pointed out, "We took what is called an all-in strategy, but as inefficiencies deepened, the capital region is on the verge of explosion while the provinces are on the verge of extinction." He continued, "I cannot help but think of the Honam region," and said, "Investment plans for the Yeongnam, Gangwon, and Chungcheong regions will also be announced, but if I were to single out one region, the Honam region, having long been left out of development, in fact has aspects that turn it into a factor of opportunity." In effect, he dismissed claims in some quarters of preferential treatment for Honam and explained the justification for the investment. Lee explained, "The southwestern coastal area is exactly where water is abundant and, especially, renewable energy is abundant," adding, "That is precisely why companies chose the region as the hub for the three mega-projects."
Lee also added, "Rather than forcing losses and risks on companies to push through national needs, as some fear, the government's job is precisely to inject government capabilities on a large scale so that companies can invest without suffering losses and with a better outlook."
