Kim Yong-beom, the Blue House director of national policy, gives a briefing on economic cooperation between South Korea and the UE at a press center in Rome, Italy, on June 11, 2026. (Park Jong-shik/Hankyoreh)
The Blue House policy chief on Thursday unveiled a vision to integrate separate national initiatives for semiconductors, data centers and physical AI into a single self-reinforcing system aimed at accelerating growth across all three sectors.The government is reportedly leaning toward selecting the southwest Honam region for data centers, which will likely need to be built outside of the greater Seoul area.In a Facebook post titled “Project Trinity: The Three Pillars of Industry in the AI Era,” Blue House Director of National Policy Kim Yong-beom observed that Korea is one of just a few countries with advanced semiconductors, power infrastructure, and manufacturing capabilities all at once.“If Korea can weave those three elements together, it can become not just a supplier of components but a critical hub for the entire AI supply chain,” he said.Kim underscored the importance of access to a steady supply of power, arguing that regions outside the Seoul area are most suitable for the project.“AI data centers are best located away from the capital in areas that have access to surplus power or are near generation facilities. When a major power consumer sets up near a power plant, electricity can be consumed locally, easing the burden on the transmission grid. That also makes it possible for the power used by households and companies in the capital region to be managed separately,” he wrote.Kim added that “the definite demand created by large AI data centers can trigger investment in power stations and transmission lines in those regions,” contributing to the government’s vision of balanced development across the country.Kim’s comments are taken as a show of support for Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which are expected to soon announce investment plans for the Honam region.“The real strength is unlocked when semiconductors, data centers and physical AI become links on a single chain. Data centers train AI models, semiconductors keep them running efficiently, and physical AI applies them to industry and the real world. Then data generated in the field circles back to the data centers,” he said.“Once this virtuous cycle gets rolling, Trinity will be more than the sum of these three industries — it will be a national AI platform. An ecosystem packed with accumulated data and operating experience and a national platform aren’t easy to copy. And that’s a gap that will only widen over time,” Kim added.By Park Su-ji, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
