Blue House: Mega Project Investments of 246 Trillion Won in Chungcheong, 107 Trillion Won in Yeongnam to Start This Year

2nd Joint Public-Private Mega Project Inspection Meeting
62% of Chungcheong Investments and 34% of Yeongnam's to Be Deployed This Year
Gwangju Military Airport Relocation and Dispersal to Be Completed by 2028

On August 10, the Blue House announced that as part of the three major mega projects, investments of 246 trillion won in the Chungcheong region and 107 trillion won in the Yeongnam region will commence this year.

Kang Hoon-sik, Chief of Staff to the President, stated during the '2nd Joint Public-Private Mega Project Inspection Meeting' briefing at the Blue House Press Hall that "we reviewed large-scale investment plans for the Chungcheong and Yeongnam regions and discussed government support measures for their timely implementation." Of the total 392 trillion won in investments for Chungcheong, as announced in last month's public report, about 62% will be carried out within this year. In the Yeongnam region, around 34% of the total 312 trillion won will be invested within the year. In addition, a research & development (R&D) project worth 57 trillion won will also begin this year.

Kang Hoon-sik, Chief Secretary, is briefing the results of the 2nd Joint Public-Private Inspection Meeting on the Mega Project held on the 10th at the Blue House Press Hall. August 10, 2026 Yonhap News Agency
Photo by Yonhap News Agency

For the Honam region, as the Gwangju Military Airport has been designated the site for a semiconductor cluster, the relocation and temporary dispersal of military facilities will be completed by the second half of 2028. Kang explained, "Following the first meeting, the government designated 2.5 million pyeong of the Gwangju Military Airport site as a national industrial complex candidate," adding, "For the designated site of the ammunition depot, we started preparing the land early so that companies wishing to enter could begin construction as soon as possible." He added, "After confirming demand from companies, we will also expedite the designation of additional candidate sites nearby."

During the meeting, President Lee received a report on plans to create an initial market for physical artificial intelligence (AI) and called for bolder policies. Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-gwan reported that the government would purchase 700 humanoid robots for research and data factory use, and 1,000 quadruped robots by 2030. Regarding this, President Lee stated that "this is insufficient for the creation of the physical AI market," and instructed the government to "significantly expand the scale of government purchases based on demand surveys," according to Kang.

Kang also stressed, "We have decided to actively pursue measures for cooperative growth to address K-shaped polarization and spread the investment results of the mega projects throughout the entire industrial ecosystem." In the semiconductor sector, the 'Growing Together Project' will be promoted, in which large, medium, and small enterprises cooperate in technology development, demonstration, and mass production, with an investment of 1 trillion won over ten years. A total of 5 trillion won in cooperative trade finance will also be provided to ease the financial difficulties of exporting materials, components, and equipment companies. Additionally, a new 5 trillion won semiconductor fund focusing on promising materials, components, equipment, and fabless companies in the semiconductor field will be created.

Regarding infrastructure, including electricity and water supply, Kang stated, "We will ensure timely provision." He explained, "For Honam, we will rapidly construct the first-phase power lines to supply electricity starting at the end of 2028, and expand generation capacity to ensure stable electricity supply through local renewable energy, energy storage systems, combined heat and power plants, and LNG power." To secure the required daily water supply of 650,000 tons by 2030, wastewater reuse, Dongbok Dam, Juam Dam, and Naju Dam will be utilized.

Furthermore, for the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, the plan is to utilize combined heat and power LNG plants in the industrial complex, along with generation capacity from the central, east coast, and Honam regions, to supply the final power demand of 14.7 gigawatts (GW) by 2041.

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