The group said it signed an investment memorandum of understanding on the 27th with the government and North Jeolla Province at the Saemangeum Convention Center in Gunsan for fostering advanced robotics and hydrogen industries and developing an AI hydrogen city in the Saemangeum area.
Hyundai plans to invest 9 trillion won starting in 2026 on a 1,124,000-square-meter (about 340,000-pyeong) site in Saemangeum, focusing on robotics, AI, hydrogen energy, solar power generation and an AI hydrogen city. The group said the project is aimed at securing future growth engines while contributing to regional balance, job creation and broader economic vitality through innovation in robotics and AI and a major shift in the hydrogen ecosystem.
Saemangeum is expanding regional transportation links, including rail, port and airport infrastructure, and can accommodate large-scale development demand with 409 square kilometers (about 120 million pyeong) of land, about two-thirds the size of Seoul, the group said. Hyundai signed a separate MOU in May last year with the Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency on introducing future mobility technologies and building an AI-based smart city. In October that year, the agency joined a hydrogen session at the APEC CEO Summit 2025 hosted by Hyundai to explore ways to deepen cooperation.
Attendees at the ceremony included President Lee Jae-myung; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon; Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan; Climate, Energy and Environment Minister Kim Sung-hwan; Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kim Yoon-deok; Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency chief Kim Eui-kyeom; and North Jeolla Gov. Kim Kwan-young, along with lawmakers Han Byung-do, Chung Dong-young, Cho Bae-sook, Lee Choon-seok, Ahn Ho-young, Yoon Jun-byeong, Lee Won-taek and Park Hee-seung.
Hyundai participants included Executive Chair Chung Euisun, Vice Chair Jang Jae-hoon, and senior executives Seo Kang-hyun, Sung Kim, Jung Jun-cheol and Jin Eun-sook, the group said.
Kim Eui-kyeom, head of the Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency, said Saemangeum has abundant energy resources and differentiated investment incentives. He said the agency would use a large, regulation-free site to develop Saemangeum into an innovation growth base where people, robots and AI coexist.
Jang said the next-generation industrial paradigm beginning in Saemangeum would become a central pillar of a major transformation shaping South Korea’s future beyond North Jeolla. He said Hyundai is ready to help build an advanced industrial ecosystem, citing its manufacturing expertise and capabilities in robotics, AI and hydrogen energy.
Under the MOU, the government and North Jeolla Province will support administrative procedures such as permits, as well as policies and infrastructure to develop robotics, AI and hydrogen energy industries. The parties will also build a cooperation network to ensure smooth project implementation, Hyundai said.
Hyundai said the Saemangeum investment will focus on building an advanced value chain centered on an AI data center (5.8 trillion won), a robot manufacturing and parts cluster (400 billion won), a water electrolysis plant (1 trillion won), solar power generation (1.3 trillion won) and an AI hydrogen city (400 billion won).
The AI data center and solar facilities are scheduled to break ground in 2027 and be completed in 2029, Hyundai said. The water electrolysis plant, also set to start construction in 2027, is to complete its first phase in 2029 and then expand capacity in stages. The robot manufacturing and parts cluster is to begin construction in 2028 and finish in 2029. Hyundai said it will also pursue discussions involving the Korea Development Bank and the National Growth Fund.
Hyundai said the Saemangeum project is a core initiative within its previously announced 125.2 trillion won mid- to long-term domestic investment plan.
The group said the investment is expected to drive innovation in robotics and AI and accelerate a shift in the hydrogen energy ecosystem, while producing immediate and tangible economic results through new jobs and stronger regional development.
Based on input-output tables from the Bank of Korea and other sources, the project’s economic impact is estimated at 16 trillion won, with an analysis projecting about 71,000 jobs created directly and indirectly, Hyundai said.
A Hyundai official said the group will draw on its world-class manufacturing and innovation capabilities to help South Korea secure leadership in future industries.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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