Lee to Hold 3rd Public-Private 'Mega-Project' Meeting on 29th; Samsung and SK Executives Also Attending

[Financial News] President Lee Jae Myung will personally review the progress of three mega-projects—semiconductors, physical AI (artificial intelligence), and AI data centers—at Cheong Wa Dae on the 29th. This time, the key agenda will be measures to create suitable living conditions, including housing, education, culture and healthcare, so that people can actually live in the regions, going beyond the construction of industrial infrastructure. As the meeting will be the first public inspection session since the launch of the Office of the National Strategic Investment Adviser, Cheong Wa Dae's dedicated organization for mega-projects, the implementation framework is expected to be further strengthened.
According to Cheong Wa Dae on the 28th, President Lee will chair the 'Third Public-Private Joint Inspection Meeting on Mega-Projects' at 3 p.m. on the 29th.
It will be the third monthly meeting personally chaired by President Lee. The government plans to focus on ways to improve living conditions so that large-scale investments in advanced industries lead to tangible regional growth. The meeting will also review the progress of individual mega-projects, including semiconductors, physical AI and AI data centers.
While previous meetings focused on laying the industrial foundation and accelerating investment, this session will expand the scope of discussion to creating regions where people can live and remain. At the first meeting on July 6, participants discussed ways to supply key infrastructure, including sites, electricity and water, with a focus on a new semiconductor cluster in the Honam region and the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster. The second meeting, held on August 10, reviewed regulatory innovations such as the enactment of the Mega Special Zone Act, ways to foster mutually beneficial growth with small and medium-sized enterprises in the materials, parts and equipment sectors, and the implementation of large-scale investment plans in the Chungcheong, Yeongnam and Honam regions.
At the third meeting, the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), and the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) will present measures to improve living conditions in areas linked to the mega-projects. The Ministry of Trade and Industry, MOLIT, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, and the Ministry of National Defense will then report on the status of and future plans for creating a semiconductor belt in the southern region.
Plans to expand physical AI and AI infrastructure will also be discussed. The Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Science and ICT will jointly announce measures to expand physical AI and AI robots in ways that the public can experience firsthand. The Ministry of Science and ICT will explain the progress of AI data center construction and its future plans. Participants will then discuss measures to improve living conditions and implementation tasks across the mega-projects.
The meeting will be attended by Cheong Wa Dae aides, including the Presidential Chief of Staff, the head of the Office of National Security (ONS), the National Strategic Investment Adviser, the Senior Presidential Secretary for Economic Growth, and the Senior Presidential Secretary for AI Future Planning, as well as the deputy prime ministers for economic affairs and science and technology and ministers from relevant ministries. Senior executives from Samsung Electronics and SK Group will also attend to share updates on private-sector investment and difficulties faced on the ground.
The meeting is also notable because it is the first inspection session since the establishment of the Office of the National Strategic Investment Adviser, the control tower dedicated to the mega-projects. At the first meeting, the government decided to establish a dedicated organization at Cheong Wa Dae to oversee progress on each project and coordinate differences among ministries. At the second meeting, it outlined plans to strengthen interministerial cooperation by linking the organization with the Prime Minister's Office's pan-government support council.
[email protected] Choi Jong-geun Reporter