Ha Jun-kyung, Senior Economic Advisor at the Blue House, described the government's "three mega projects" as a large-scale national industrial transformation initiative, comparable in scope to the industrialization during the Park Chung-hee era.
In an appearance on the YouTube program "Jung Joon-hee's Saturday Debate" on July 4, Ha stated, "If we consider the industrialization of the Park Chung-hee era as the first phase, we are now entering the second phase of industrialization. This is a different level, comparable to past industrialization efforts."
He explained that while past industrialization was characterized by imbalance, the current approach aims for balanced industrialization. "This is not a catch-up model following advanced countries; rather, it is a leading model of industrialization," he said. He added that regions will also have opportunities for growth, emphasizing that rapid construction will create many jobs and significantly benefit the economy.
Ha also shared insights on the reactions of major corporations involved in the projects. He noted, "The chairpersons of the participating companies are very grateful to the president. It has provided a good opportunity to think about balanced development across the country, something they had not considered before, and they realized that 'this is something we must do.'" He mentioned that companies were contemplating moving abroad due to difficulties in finding suitable conditions domestically.
Addressing concerns about policies favoring large corporations, he stated, "We are responding strongly to collusion and unfair trade practices. We have made it difficult for large companies to operate as they did in the past."
Regarding the power supply plan for the Honam semiconductor cluster, he acknowledged the need to expand renewable energy while also mentioning the potential use of nuclear power. He said, "It is certain that the renewable energy sector will become more active, but there may be a need for nuclear power to handle parts that are difficult for renewables alone. The right approach is to overcome technological challenges with technology."
On concerns about real estate speculation, he remarked, "We must prevent people from profiting or speculating by taking advantage of rising land prices. As the projects progress, measures to address these issues will also emerge."
Additionally, regarding the potential use of excess tax revenue from advancements in artificial intelligence for a proposed "citizen dividend," he clarified, "We are not in a situation to take extreme actions. The president's clear directive is to use it to enhance potential growth rates."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.