Kim Dongyeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, announced his commitment to mobilize all available resources to make Hanam Gyosan New Town a key hub leading South Korea's artificial intelligence (AI) industry.
Governor Kim made this statement in a congratulatory speech at the forum on "Sustainable Future Cities and Strengthening National AI Competitiveness," held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 21st.
He explained, "AI is now more than just a tool for industrial innovation; it has become a core strategic asset that determines the paradigm shift of a nation. Gyeonggi Province has been building a model to lead the digital transformation by establishing a digital hub and fostering an AI technovalley, aiming to secure independent competitiveness amid the global AI hegemony race."
He added, "Among these initiatives, 'AI City' is especially directly connected to the lives of our residents. It is a new urban model where AI technology enhances the sustainability of the city, while organically linking AI industry, research, and jobs."
Governor Kim also introduced the AI Innovation Cluster currently being promoted within the Hanam Gyosan public housing district.
He stated, "Gyeonggi Province plans to rapidly develop Hanam Gyosan New Town into South Korea's representative 'AI City.' The AI·DATA Innovation Cluster will serve as a comprehensive base for infrastructure, talent, and technology required to realize the AI City, including data centers, research facilities, and AI training centers."
Kim Dongyeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, delivers a congratulatory speech at the "Sustainable Future Cities and National AI Competitiveness Enhancement" forum held on the 21st at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Gyeonggi Province
The Hanam Gyosan AI Innovation Cluster will be established on self-sufficient land within the Hanam Gyosan public housing district, with an investment of 2.3 trillion won (excluding land costs). From 2026 to 2030, a 71,000-square-meter (total floor area of 364,000 square meters, 10 buildings) AI·DATA industrial cluster will be built, which will house a graduate school of artificial intelligence, an AI training center, an AI data center, an AI research center, and a supercomputer center.
The project will be implemented by the POSTECH-KT Consortium, which includes world-class AI universities and research institutions such as POSTECH, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and the National University of Singapore (NUS), as well as KT Cloud and KT Investment Management.
Since July 2023, Gyeonggi Province has been consulting with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Hanam City, LH, and GH to attract the AI Innovation Cluster. To resolve the long-standing deadlock over attracting businesses and educational facilities to Hanam, the province repeatedly proposed amendments to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, resulting in a revision to the "Guidelines for Land Development Work Processing." Under the revised guidelines, city and provincial governors now have the authority to recommend land for business use, and last month, Gyeonggi Province enacted the nation's first "Ordinance to Promote Business Attraction in Public Housing Districts."
After final consultations with relevant agencies, Gyeonggi Province will proceed with investment proposal submissions and reviews, aiming to sign occupancy agreements between September and October.
Meanwhile, at the forum co-hosted by the office of National Assembly member Choo Mi-ae and Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), urban planning and AI experts discussed the following topics: the global AI hegemony war and South Korea's response strategies; policy directions and challenges for implementing a Korean-style AI City; and innovative approaches for sustainable urban space in the third phase of new towns.
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