"(In response to a question from ABC Broadcasting) Governor, Hyundai Motor has chosen Saemangeum as a base for AI and robotics rather than an automobile factory. Are you confident in making Jeonbuk South Korea's first physical AI special zone?"
South Korea's industrialization began in Ulsan, with the automotive, shipbuilding, and steel industries driving the national economy. In the information age, Pangyo became a symbol of growth. However, the AI era poses a new question: Will artificial intelligence remain confined to algorithms in computers, or will it become a technology that drives factories, cities, logistics, and agriculture in the real world? The world is now entering a competition for physical AI. The United States is focusing on humanoid robots, while China is promoting an AI manufacturing revolution as a national strategy.
Amid this backdrop, Jeonbuk has unexpectedly seized an opportunity. Hyundai Motor Group plans to invest 9 trillion won in Saemangeum to establish an AI data center, a robotics manufacturing cluster, and a hydrogen energy hub, positioning Jeonbuk at the forefront of South Korea's future industries. Governor Lee Won-taek has also proposed the Saemangeum AI semiconductor mega-cluster, declaring his intention to make Jeonbuk a center for AI, semiconductors, robotics, and drones.
The question remains.
Can Jeonbuk transform from a land of agriculture into a testing ground for South Korea's future industries? Why is Saemangeum becoming the forefront of South Korea's physical AI?
In the industrial revolution era, ports were crucial. In the information age, data became essential. In the AI era, data, power, and physical spaces that drive the real world are becoming increasingly important.
Saemangeum possesses these essential conditions.
It has vast land, renewable energy, and integrated port and logistics infrastructure. In the past, having a large area was not seen as an advantage; it was often criticized for slow development. However, the narrative has changed in the AI era. Data centers, robotics factories, semiconductor plants, and hydrogen facilities all require large spaces.
Hyundai Motor Group's choice of Saemangeum reflects this need.
Hyundai is not merely establishing an automobile factory but is building a future industrial hub that includes an AI data center, a robotics manufacturing cluster, hydrogen energy facilities, and solar power plants. The investment amounts to 9 trillion won. The government and industry expect this initiative to create over 70,000 jobs and generate more than 16 trillion won in economic impact.
The key point is not the investment amount.
It is significant that Hyundai has chosen Jeonbuk as a production base for AI and robotics rather than just automobiles.
This signifies a historic opportunity for Jeonbuk to shift from being on the periphery of manufacturing to becoming a center for future industries.
A New Industrial Map Created by Drones and Robots
Jeonbuk is already a key hub for South Korea's drone industry.
The areas around Gunsan, Gimje, and Gochang boast the largest airspace in the country for drone test flights and demonstration projects. Active experiments are being conducted with agricultural drones, logistics drones, and defense drones.
However, drones alone are not enough.
AI must be integrated.
The future of drones will not involve human-operated machines. Instead, they will be autonomous systems that make decisions and fly on their own. The future of logistics and defense will also be managed and commanded by AI.
Robots will follow a similar trajectory.
The robotics cluster that Hyundai is establishing in Saemangeum is not just a production facility. It aims to create a platform for a cyclical structure where AI trains robots, robots generate data, and data further develops AI.
If Seoul creates AI services and Pangyo develops platforms, Jeonbuk can become a space that demonstrates how AI operates in reality.
Saemangeum could be the first place to experiment with AI driving factories, flying drones, and training robots.
Thus, Jeonbuk has the potential to become not just an industrial complex but South Korea's first physical AI testbed.
Lee Won-taek's Bold Move: AI Semiconductors
The core of the AI industry is ultimately semiconductors.
AI data centers require semiconductors, and robots also depend on them. Autonomous vehicles, drones, and smart factories cannot exist without semiconductors.
This is why Lee Won-taek's most prominent campaign promise was the Saemangeum AI semiconductor mega-cluster.
He announced plans to develop a 3 million pyeong semiconductor industrial complex in Saemangeum and attract global companies, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, to secure an investment of 200 trillion won. His vision is to create an all-in-one ecosystem capable of everything from semiconductor packaging to AI computation.
Of course, the reality is not easy.
Attracting Samsung and SK Hynix cannot be resolved solely by the will of local government.
However, what matters is the direction.
Jeonbuk must transform from a region that waits for central government support to one that proactively proposes future industries and attracts businesses.
If Saemangeum can connect AI data centers, robotics factories, semiconductor clusters, and renewable energy industries, Jeonbuk could become the region that completes future industrialization first, rather than the last to start.
Jeonbuk's Future Lies in Industrial Convergence
Many still remember Jeonbuk as an agricultural region.
This is not incorrect.
However, that alone cannot explain Jeonbuk's future.
Agriculture is also evolving with AI.
Drones are spraying pesticides, AI is predicting crop yields, and robots are assisting with harvesting.
Agriculture is becoming interconnected with AI, drones, robotics, and data industries.
Jeonbuk's future competitiveness lies in this connectivity.
Only when the AI data center in Saemangeum, Hyundai's robotics factory, the drone industry, agricultural biotechnology, renewable energy, and semiconductor industries are interconnected will a new industrial ecosystem emerge.
The success of Lee Won-taek's administration over the next four years hinges on this.
Can Saemangeum be transformed from a mere industrial complex into a testing ground for South Korea's future industries?
Can Jeonbuk shift from being known for agriculture to becoming the center of the AI and robotics revolution?
The answers to these questions will determine Jeonbuk's future over the next four years.
:Who is Lee Won-taek:
Lee Won-taek is a politician from Gimje with extensive experience in civic activities and agricultural and regional policy. He has been deeply involved in Saemangeum development, the promotion of Jeonbuk as a special self-governing province, and regional balanced development issues since his time as a member of the National Assembly. He has consistently argued that agriculture should be connected not just as a primary industry but with advanced industries.
In this election, he did not limit himself to the existing agriculture-centered strategy. He presented a vision to develop Saemangeum into an AI semiconductor mega-cluster and to connect the drone, robotics, data center, and renewable energy industries to make Jeonbuk a hub for future industries. Notably, he has outlined a strategy to cultivate Jeonbuk as a center for AI, robotics, and hydrogen industries in conjunction with Hyundai Motor Group's 9 trillion won investment in Saemangeum.
For him, this term is not just about managing the provincial government. It is a historical test of whether Jeonbuk can leap forward as South Korea's first special zone for future industries and whether Saemangeum can grow into a core hub for AI, robotics, and semiconductor industries.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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