President Lee Jae-myung on Monday called for the preemptive securing of power infrastructure to address companies' concerns over "baseload power" as they pursue mega projects. With Climate, Energy and Environment Minister Kim Sung-hwan recently hinting at the possibility of building new nuclear reactors, and now President Lee publicly citing the need to secure baseload power, attention is turning to whether the mega projects will spur full-fledged discussions on new nuclear plant construction.
At the "Public-Private Mega Project Review Meeting" that day, Lee said, "For power, a quick resolution is most important," adding, "Rather than waiting until all other procedures are complete, it would be good to secure power and water preemptively, on the assumption that they will naturally be provided." He continued, "Once the infrastructure is in place, other companies may also come in."
In particular, Lee stressed, "Companies worry a lot about baseload power." He said, "They say that while there is a lot of renewable energy, they are concerned that baseload power might become a problem, so it would be good to resolve the issue preemptively." He then instructed the Climate Ministry to "take an interest and design an efficient method well."
Lee repeatedly emphasized that mega projects are a "battle of speed." "An all-out competition with the nation's fortune at stake is underway, and in such a situation, the outcome is decided by who secures ground faster and who moves quicker," he said, urging that investment execution must not be delayed by administrative procedures.
He also pointed out, "In the case of the Yongin general industrial complex, it took six years from site confirmation to the start of fab construction, which does not seem that fast." The Yongin semiconductor cluster general industrial complex began as a project in 2019 and only broke ground on its first fab in February 2025, after going through an environmental impact assessment and land compensation negotiations.
He continued, "Environmental impact assessments are also necessary, but if one already exists (in the same area), it is important to cite those results," explaining, "Even if a new one is conducted, there is a need to drastically shorten the timeframe."
Regarding calls to ease the "52-hour workweek system" for semiconductor clusters, Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik said in a media interview that it was "the National Assembly's role."
Meanwhile, targeting the opposition party, which had criticized the mega projects as a political event, Lee said, "We are trying to create new opportunities for the people and for struggling young people, so even if they cannot cooperate to the fullest, I hope they will not greatly obstruct it."
