"With 14 Schools and 5,000 Households Nearby"... On the Frontline of Resident Opposition [Coexistence in the AIDC Era]②

Ⅰ. Surging Demand for AIDC: The Reality in Korea

[On Site] 80MW Data Center Construction in Michuhol-gu, Incheon

First Public-Private Council Held, but Discord Emerges

Opposing Residents Meet With District Mayor on August 18

Editor's NoteIn the era of artificial intelligence (AI), the government has announced a plan to make data centers a key driver of future national growth, aiming to build a total of 18.4GW in capacity by 2035 as part of three major megaprojects. While data centers were once limited to supporting IT services, web applications, and data storage and sharing, they are now evolving into industrial platforms that produce and supply AI computing resources. However, despite a shared understanding that they are essential infrastructure for national industrial competitiveness, there remain numerous challenges to address before the expansion of AI Data Centers (AIDC) can be realized. The Asia Business Daily has directly covered cases from abroad—including Finland, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands—where issues such as power, permitting, water supply, and resident conflict surrounding AIDC have been resolved wisely. We offer insights on how Korea’s AIDC can become assets that coexist with local communities.

"There is an elementary school right next to the data center site, and just 150 meters away is an apartment complex. Is it acceptable for residents' voices to be ignored at the first public-private consultative meeting?"

On August 4, in front of the main conference room at the Dohwa 2·3 Administrative Welfare Center in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, tensions flared between residents and local officials. Hyangwook Jeong, chair of the Dohwa 2·3 Residents' Council, said, "There are 14 schools near the planned data center, and nearly 5,000 households living in apartments around the facility will be directly or indirectly affected. We only learned about the first public-private consultative meeting 30 minutes before it started," expressing his frustration.

A data center with a maximum capacity of 80MW, to be built in Dohwa-dong, Michuhol-gu, Incheon, is about to begin construction. Photo by Sojeong Seo.

Local opposition is intensifying ahead of the construction of a data center with a maximum capacity of 80MW in Dohwa-dong, Michuhol-gu, Incheon. The facility, being developed by KDB Infrastructure Asset Management at 765-18 Dohwa-dong, received construction permits from Michuhol-gu in April 2023 and is scheduled to break ground in October. To supply power to the data center, high-voltage lines will be buried, extending approximately 4.7 kilometers from the Suhngui 2-dong area through Sunin High School and Inhwa Girls' Middle School, to the facility site in Dohwa-dong. Kiyeong Park, chair of The Sharp Incheon Sky Tower 1 Residents’ Council, said, "The developer claims it will bury extra-high voltage lines and install electromagnetic wave blocking devices to maintain emissions below regulatory thresholds, but the residents remain uneasy."

Public-Private Committee Lacks Residents' Voices…Communication is Absent

Yeongsun Kim, president of the Dohwa 2·3 Residents' Committee, said, "This is a densely populated residential area with many nearby schools, so concerns about electromagnetic waves, noise, and heat are mounting. It is a problem that the public-private committee, which should be listening to residents, is operating in secrecy." She pointed out the lack of efforts to address public anxiety, even though a large-scale AI data center is being constructed in a residential area. Kim added, "There are Coupang and GS Logistics warehouses nearby, as well as Incheon Metropolitan Medical Center, so if a fire were to break out at the data center, the damage could be catastrophic."

Chiguk Moon, head of architecture at Michuhol-gu, said, "During the first meeting, we shared the business progress and discussed residents’ concerns regarding electromagnetic waves, noise, and heat from the data center construction. Since opinions among residents are diverse, we plan to create more opportunities for dialogue in the future so opinions can be coordinated."

Residents of an apartment complex near Dohwa-dong, Michuhol-gu, Incheon, put up banners opposing the data center.

Tensions over the Dohwa-dong data center remain unresolved. As protests continued, Michuhol-gu Mayor Jeongshik Kim met with 20 to 30 residents on the 18th to listen to their opinions. Gyeongsu Park, chief representative of the "Private Dohwa Data Center Cancellation Promotion Committee," stated, "Although the developer and some residents in favor have suggested 'building a swimming pool' as a compromise, the scale is too small and the feasibility is questionable. We will continue our campaign to halt data center construction in the interest of residents’ safety." Byeongjin Lee, head of building permits at Michuhol-gu, added, "This meeting was held in response to the ongoing resident opposition to hear directly from those against the project. Going forward, we will continue to hold public-private consultation sessions."

Back in May, three resident representatives shaved their heads at an assembly attended by over 200 people to demand cancellation of the project, and an anti-center petition has collected 6,400 signatures. One resident remarked, "The Dohwa-dong data center is a hot-button issue in Michuhol-gu. I believe it was one of the key factors that influenced the outcome of the recent local election, including the mayoralty."

Jinhee Kim, associate research fellow in the Department of Economic and Industrial Research at Incheon Institute, said, "Gaining public acceptance is critical for preventing project delays and community conflict, and for ensuring the data center’s stable construction and operation. Data center developers should establish a pre-consultation system that explains power consumption, cooling methods, electromagnetic wave and noise management plans, and local community benefits before seeking construction permits." She added, "To prevent conflict, an information disclosure system, resident briefings, expert verification, and post-monitoring mechanisms should be organized before business implementation. It is important to provide ample explanation to residents from the initial site assessment phase to alleviate negative perceptions of data centers."

This project received support from the Press Promotion Fund, which is funded by government advertising fees.

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