Saemangeum to Become an 'International Submarine Cable Hub' Following Hyundai Motor's 9 Trillion Won Investment

Agreement Signed for "Ultra-High-Speed International Submarine Cable Landing Station"
Synergy Expected with Hyundai Motor Group AI Data Center

An international submarine cable landing station connecting Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, and other countries will be established in the Saemangeum National Industrial Complex. Following the attraction of the Hyundai Motor Group artificial intelligence (AI) data center, Saemangeum has now secured an international communication network capable of rapidly exchanging overseas data, laying the groundwork to expand from a manufacturing-centered industrial complex into a key hub for digital infrastructure.

The Saemangeum Development Agency, North Jeolla Special Self-Governing Province, Gunsan City, and Korea Rural Community Corporation announced on the 9th that they recently signed an investment agreement with Dreamline, a leading domestic business-to-business (B2B) telecommunications company, to build the 'AUG (Asia United Gateway) East' cable landing station within the Saemangeum National Industrial Complex. Dreamline is one of South Korea's five major telecommunication carriers (KT, SK Broadband, LG Uplus, Dreamline, Sejong Telecom) and operates an optical cable network of approximately 58,000 km nationwide.

Seongyo Moon, Administrator of the Saemangeum Development Authority (right), is posing for a commemorative photo with Yoonjae Han, CEO of Dreamline, after signing a business agreement on the 8th. Saemangeum Development Authority

A cable landing station is a key facility that brings international submarine cables from under the sea onto land and connects them to the domestic communication network. While airports and ports serve as gateways for people and goods, cable landing stations are the primary gateways for international data entering and leaving the country. The competitiveness of the regional data industry depends on the location of these facilities. Once this facility is established, domestic and overseas companies using Saemangeum data centers will be able to exchange large volumes of data more reliably. This means that Saemangeum, once focused on manufacturing, can expand as a digital infrastructure hub equipped with both an AI data center and an international communication network.

'AUG East' is a high-speed international submarine cable project connecting eight countries, including Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan, spanning a total length of 8,900 km. Eleven global companies, including Dreamline, are participating in the project, which is scheduled to open in the second half of 2029. Dreamline plans to build the cable landing station in Section 2 of the Saemangeum National Industrial Complex, with construction set to begin in January 2027 and global communication services to be provided starting in 2029.

Until now, South Korea's submarine cable infrastructure has been concentrated in the southeastern region, including Busan and Geoje. By establishing a new international communication hub on the west coast through the Saemangeum cable landing station project, the distribution of communication hubs can enhance the overall stability of the communication network in the event of disasters or accidents.

The Saemangeum Development Agency expects this development to create synergy with the Hyundai Motor Group AI data center. The performance of an AI data center depends on data transmission speed and minimizing latency, and the presence of a cable landing station nearby will provide an environment for global data to be connected at ultra-high speed and with low latency.

Seongyo Moon, Administrator of the Saemangeum Development Agency, stated, "With this agreement, Saemangeum will leap beyond a simple manufacturing complex to become a global digital communication gateway to the world," adding, "It will form a solid foundation for creating a new industrial ecosystem based on AI and data centers in connection with advanced companies such as Hyundai Motor Group."

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