Ulsan Opens the New Year with AI as Its First Step... Accelerating Toward the "AI Capital of Korea"

First Official Approval of 2026:
“Ulsan-Style Sovereign AI Cluster Development Plan”

Ulsan, the industrial capital of South Korea, has gone all-in on artificial intelligence from the very first day of the new year.

On the first day of the new year, Ulsan City began taking concrete steps to realize its vision of becoming the “AI Capital Ulsan.”

On January 2, at 3:00 p.m., Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom of Ulsan will sign the “Ulsan-Style Sovereign Artificial Intelligence (AI) Cluster Development Plan” as the first official approval of 2026, in the mayor’s office on the 7th floor of the main building at Ulsan City Hall.

Sovereign artificial intelligence (AI) refers to an autonomous AI model that can eliminate dependency on specific technologies or companies, thereby preventing the leakage of critical industrial data to external parties.

Additionally, as of January 1, 2026, the city launched the “AI Capital Promotion Headquarters,” accelerating the creation of an Ulsan-style AI industrial ecosystem.

The Promotion Headquarters will serve as the control tower overseeing AI policy development, industry promotion, local talent cultivation, infrastructure establishment, and the realization of future-oriented smart cities and digital twins.

This initiative stems from the belief that Ulsan, as the core hub of South Korea’s manufacturing industry, is optimally positioned to foster the AI industry.

With access to large-scale manufacturing data, a stable power infrastructure, and outstanding research capabilities centered around Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), the city can integrate the entire industrial AI value chain-from data collection to model development and validation, as well as talent cultivation.

Going forward, Ulsan City plans to work with the Ulsan Information Industry Promotion Agency, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), and a consultative body of leading companies such as SK, Hyundai Motor, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to develop a plan for the AI cluster within this year.

The city also intends to continue consultations with central government ministries, including the Ministry of Science and ICT, to attract national AI-related hub projects.

A city official stated, “By establishing the Ulsan-Style Sovereign AI Cluster, we will enhance the global competitiveness of our region’s key industries and systematically build an industrial ecosystem befitting an AI capital.”

In June last year, Ulsan attracted the SK-Amazon Web Services (SK-AWS) AI Data Center, the largest in Korea with an investment of 7 trillion won. In August, the city launched the Ulsan AI Committee, and in September, it became the first in the country to designate and operate an “AI Innovation Center,” further accelerating the expansion of its AI industry base.