President Lee: "Yeongnam to Become a Global Advanced Manufacturing Hub Beyond Korea’s No. 1"

Following the Southwest and Chungcheong Regions,
National Report Meeting on Advanced Industries Held in Yeongnam
Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, Hanwha, LG, and Others Attend
"I Will Personally Pay Close and Special Attention"
"Full-Scale

On July 3, President Lee Jae-myung declared, "We will establish the Yeongnam region as the undisputed leader in advanced industries in Korea." He presented a strategy to combine Yeongnam’s existing manufacturing base with future industries such as physical artificial intelligence (AI), aerospace, shipbuilding, automobiles, and semiconductors.

President Lee Jae-myung is delivering a congratulatory speech at the National Report Meeting on the Vision for Advanced Industry Development in the Yeongnam Region held in Jinju, Gyeongnam on July 3, 2026. Photo by Cheongwadae News Photographers Group, Yonhap News Agency

At the National Report Meeting on the Vision for Advanced Industry Development in the Yeongnam Region held in Jinju, Gyeongnam on the same day, President Lee stated, "The era of large-scale investment, which began in the southwestern region and continued through the Chungcheong region, is now unfolding in Yeongnam, the powerhouse of Korea’s industry. Today’s national report meeting will serve as the starting point for establishing Yeongnam as the leading region for advanced industries with an overwhelming edge." Major companies such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, Hanwha, LG, and Doosan participated in the event.

President Lee assessed the current global economic environment as "an era of all-out national competition, where the winner in the race for supremacy in advanced industries will set a new order, and that gap will determine the fate of nations." He emphasized, "If we fall a step behind, we will become weary chasers, but if we move even half a step ahead, we can become pioneers enjoying limitless opportunities. Now is the perfect time to take action."

Regarding the Yeongnam region, President Lee described it as "the birthplace of Korea’s industry." He said, "About 50 years ago, the flames of Korea’s industrialization first ignited here, from the electronics industry in the Gumi Industrial Complex to automobiles, shipbuilding, and petrochemicals in Ulsan, and steel in Pohang. If we combine advanced technologies and industries such as physical AI and aerospace with this solid manufacturing base, Korea will lead the future global market."

President Lee noted, "A significant portion of our country’s core industrial products are created here in Yeongnam: 80% of shipbuilding, 61% of aerospace, 58% of defense, and 44% of automobiles. Yeongnam is undoubtedly Korea’s number one manufacturing hub and has the potential to become a global advanced manufacturing center."

The government plans to foster Yeongnam as a core base for next-generation semiconductors, AI data centers, a robotics industry innovation belt, physical AI based on automobiles and shipbuilding, aerospace and defense, energy including SMRs, and batteries and displays. President Lee stated, "By focusing on nurturing the country’s largest robotics industry innovation belt and physical AI fields—including automobiles and the world’s top shipbuilding—we will transform manufacturing sites into intelligent industries. Yeongnam will take another step forward, from being Korea’s top manufacturing region to becoming the world’s leading manufacturing hub."

In particular, President Lee highlighted the aerospace industry as a new growth axis for Yeongnam. He said, "Aerospace will be a new growth engine industry for Korea, fostered by Yeongnam. Although Yeongnam accounts for about one-third of the southern Korean Peninsula, the economic territory that Yeongnam will open up is infinite, like space itself." He added, "The government will begin building a South Coast aerospace industry belt linking satellites, launch vehicles, next-generation aircraft, and new space industries, and will actively support Yeongnam-based aerospace companies to grow into top-tier global enterprises."

President Lee Jae-myung is delivering a congratulatory speech at the National Report Meeting on the Development Vision of the Advanced Industry in the Yeongnam Region held in Jinju, Gyeongnam on July 3, 2026. Photo by the Blue House Press Photographers Group, Yonhap News Agency

President Lee also pledged government support for corporate investment. He said, "We will mobilize all national capabilities to match the bold moves of companies that have decided on large-scale investments. The large-scale investment plans announced today in Yeongnam, following the southwestern and Chungcheong regions, align with the government’s ‘Five Growth Poles, Three Special Engines’ strategy."

He continued, "We will break the vicious cycle of concentration in the capital area and the decline of local regions, and will achieve a grand transformation of the national land so that each region can stand as the agent of its own industrial growth. As President, I will personally pay close attention and take special care." He explained that the central government will pursue package support encompassing taxation, finance, financial support, regulation, and infrastructure, while local governments will swiftly process permits and approvals to provide close support for companies.

President Lee concluded, "Yeongnam, the cradle of Korean industry, will now be reborn as the birthplace of Korea’s advanced industries with an overwhelming lead. We will create a country where large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises grow together under one roof, and where young people can put down roots and envision their future in Yeongnam."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.