First Local Event Since Taking Office:
"A Meaningful Milestone in the History of Our Industry"
"First Step Toward Becoming a Top Three Global AI Power... Bold Regulatory Innovation in Parallel"
Expressed Determination to Implement Policies Quickly Based on Feedback from the Field
On June 20, President Lee Jaemyung attended the launch ceremony of the Ulsan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Data Center at the Ulsan Exhibition and Convention Center. He stated, "Today, the Republic of Korea is taking its first bold step toward becoming the Asia-Pacific region's AI hub and one of the world's top three AI powers," adding, "This data center will remain a highly meaningful milestone in the history of our industry."
President Lee especially highlighted the investments by SK and Amazon. He said, "This is a tremendous achievement, made possible by the rapidly growing AI technology of Korean companies such as SK, combined with Amazon's significant investment." He emphasized, "Amid intensifying global competition in AI, I expect that the success model created by SK and Amazon will pave the way for more active collaboration between Korean and global companies."
The launch ceremony, titled "Korea AI Expressway, Ulsan AI Data Center Launch," was attended by Chairman Chey Taewon, Baek Junho, CEO of FuriosaAI, Jung Suna, CEO of Kakao, Lee Junhee, President of Samsung SDS, Seo Beomseok, CEO of Lunit, Bae Kyunghoon, Head of LG AI Research Institute, Kim Yuwon, CEO of Naver Cloud, and Cho Joonhee, Chairman of the Korea AI·SW Association. From the Presidential Office, Policy Chief Kim Yongbeom, Chief of Economic Growth Ha Junkyung, and Chief of AI Future Planning Ha Jongwoo accompanied the president. In addition, Minister of Science and ICT Yoo Sangim and Minister of Industry Ahn Deokgeun were present from the Cabinet. Choi Minhee, Chair of the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, and Kim Dookyum, Mayor of Ulsan, also attended.
President Lee also highlighted the significance of establishing a data center outside the Seoul metropolitan area. He said, "It is particularly meaningful that a large-scale data center is being established in Ulsan, a region outside the capital area," and added, "With Ulsan's solid manufacturing infrastructure and the full support of the local government, the AI data center is expected to make a significant contribution to balanced national development."
He continued, "If the innovation model of integrating manufacturing and AI succeeds here in Ulsan, it will accelerate AI innovation and a national AI transformation across various sectors, from agriculture and fisheries to healthcare, tourism, and the public sector." He pledged, "The new administration will make every effort to actively support Korea's leap forward as a nation that harnesses AI as a new engine for growth."
President Lee also stated, "Just as the Gyeongbu Expressway led Korea's industrialization, we will build the expressway of the AI era by starting with the construction of the AI data center, providing bold tax incentives, and pursuing regulatory innovation to stimulate private investment and ensure the success of Korea's AI transformation." He added, "We will secure high-quality data, the core resource of the AI ecosystem, and actively foster innovative talent." President Lee also said, "What I felt most strongly while listening to the vivid voices of businesses was the industry's determination that 'we can do it.' Based on feedback from the field, we will implement policies with speed and determination."
AI Global Cooperation Business Roundtable Held Before Data Center Launch
Prior to the launch ceremony, President Lee attended the AI Global Cooperation Business Roundtable and said, "The reason I made time to come here today is because it seems to offer new hope for the regional economy and industry." He added, "This could become a model case demonstrating that Korea's advanced technology industries are possible not only in the capital region but also in the provinces."
At the roundtable, President Lee again emphasized the special significance of attracting a large-scale AI data center to a regional area. He also recognized the role of Chairman Chey Taewon of SK. Chairman Chey stated, "SK Group, together with Amazon?specifically Amazon Web Services (AWS)?will officially announce the construction of the largest AI data center in Korea." He explained, "The Ulsan AI Data Center will serve as the best AI expressway and play an essential role in infrastructure development."
President Lee expressed his expectations by mentioning the "KOSPI 3000 era." He said, "Today I saw that the Korean stock index reached 2999.1. I hope that with new expectations, it will surpass the 3000-point mark and usher in a new era of growth." He added, "I hope this will be the starting point for the revival of Ulsan's economy and for Korea's growth to blossom." In fact, the KOSPI surpassed the 3000 mark during trading that day for the first time in three years and five months.
President Lee commented, "Korea has achieved rapid growth so far, but right now, as people say, we are at a critical juncture." He explained, "Depending on how we prepare, we can either move into a new world or fall back. With the great strength of our people, we will overcome the crisis and embrace a new future."
The roundtable included discussions on attracting foreign investment, global AI collaboration and expansion, and securing global competitiveness. Twelve people participated as discussants, including Mayor Kim Dookyum, Chairman Chey Taewon, and CEO Baek Junho. After the roundtable, President Lee observed demonstrations of AI products and services and then attended the Ulsan AI Data Center launch ceremony.
The First Step Toward Becoming a Top Three AI Power
Since his presidential candidacy, President Lee has presented a vision to elevate Korea to one of the world's top three AI powers. In particular, he pledged to promote 100 trillion won of investment in the AI sector over five years, combining both government and private resources, and to establish a nationwide network connecting AI infrastructure. The strategy is to decentralize computing resources and data centers, which are currently concentrated in the capital area, and to expand the foundation for AI utilization by linking them with regional industries. The so-called "Korea AI Expressway" concept was born from this vision.
The Ulsan AI Data Center is a representative example. Ulsan, known for its strong manufacturing base, has been highlighted as a region that will lead industrial innovation by establishing an AI data center in connection with its industrial complexes and integrating manufacturing big data with AI. SK Group recently announced plans to invest several trillion won in Ulsan in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to build a 100 MW AI data center. The Ministry of Science and ICT also announced that it will allocate a budget of 16.0761 trillion won to the AI sector over the next five years, with 12.3 trillion won focused on making Korea one of the world's top three AI powers. The core plan is to secure 50,000 advanced graphics processing units (GPUs) and build AI data centers to establish an "AI expressway."
President Lee also introduced the concept of "sovereign AI" to avoid dependency on foreign AI technologies. This strategy aims to develop a native, large-scale AI model trained on Korean language and data, thereby building an independent AI ecosystem without relying on foreign platforms. Sovereign AI is attracting attention as a next-generation growth strategy because it is directly linked to securing national technological sovereignty, going beyond mere technology development. To this end, President Lee plans to establish a Chief of AI Future Planning position in the Presidential Office and to strengthen public-private cooperation by appointing private-sector experts. In addition, fostering AI startups, nurturing talent, expanding regulatory sandboxes, and creating AI-specialized cities are also being pursued as key initiatives.
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