The Korean government on Monday announced plans for investments of 1.588 quadrillion won in the central, southeast and southwestern regions of the country as part of its three “megaprojects,” including 800 trillion won for the construction of memory chip fabs in Gwangju and other areas in the southwest. “In my second year in office, I will make sure that 2026 becomes the year Korea becomes so invaluable that it cannot be substituted by any other country in the world,” President Lee Jae Myung declared from the Blue House during a televised address on the ventures that day. The president called the pursuit of “absolute competitiveness” a critical task that the country must undertake. Corporate investment plans and government support measures related to three major sectors — semiconductors, artificial intelligence data centers, and physical AI — were unveiled at the briefing. The administration has designated the southwestern Honam region as the country’s second semiconductor production hub, alongside the primary hub of the Seoul metropolitan area. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix will invest 800 trillion won in the region to build four semiconductor fabs and establish an ecosystem of partner companies and human resources. When the construction of AI data centers and other projects are added, around 896 trillion won is to be invested in Honam. “We are planning to select Gwangju, where we are expected to receive significant initiatives, such as support for securing power, water, and workers, as a new site,” said Samsung Electronics CEO Lee Jae-yong at the briefing. Kang Hoon-sik, the Blue House chief of staff, remarked that the plan is to complete the initiative in the Honam region before Lee leaves office.The timelines for the completion of the final fabs at the Yongin semiconductor cluster and general industrial complex will be shortened by seven years (2047 to 2040) and 12 years (2045 to 2033), respectively, with the goal of doubling memory production capacity within five years. In the central Chungcheong region, 392 trillion won will be invested to establish the area as a semiconductor packaging hub. The plan is to provide support to ensure that projects, including the construction of new high-bandwidth memory (HBM) fabs in Onyang and Cheonan, and investments in HBM packaging in Cheongju, are carried out in a timely manner. A provisional 270 trillion won is slated to be invested in the country’s southeastern Yeongnam region, going toward the construction of AI data centers and the physical AI industry. The government said it would support automotive and home appliance parts companies in the Daegu and North Gyeongsang regions as they transition into robotics parts manufacturers. “Along with the AI data center for Samsung’s internal use, we will concentrate our robotics-related investments in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province,” said Lee Jae-yong, the chairman of Samsung Electronics. The government additionally plans to build an 8.4 gigawatt AI data center in partnership with SK, GS and Naver. The three companies plan to invest approximately 550 trillion won. Science and ICT Minister Bae Kyung-hoon announced plans for “an additional 10 gigawatts by 2035, bringing the total to 18.4 gigawatts, with investments exceeding 1 quadrillion won.” Samsung Electronics and SK Group issued press releases following the briefing, announcing their plans to invest 2.655 quadrillion won and 2.10 quadrillion won, respectively, in Korea, including investments in existing projects such as the Yongin chip cluster.