Samsung's 46 Trillion Won 'Mega Investment' Breaks Ground... President Lee: "We Will Bring All Policy Capabilities to Bear"

Three mega-projects in Chungcheong break ground
Investments take shape in just four months
Lee: "Cutting permit approval times to one-third; local governments played a decisive role"
"We will see Honam and Yeongnam investments through to th

Samsung Electronics’ “mega investment project,” worth 46 trillion won, broke ground on the 12th. President Lee Jaemyung visited the groundbreaking site at Samsung Electronics’ Onyang Campus in South Chungcheong Province, where the company will build an advanced packaging facility for high-bandwidth memory (HBM). “A state-of-the-art packaging fab worth 6 trillion won will be newly built, followed by a phased investment of 40 trillion won in advanced equipment,” he said. The mega-project for the Chungcheong region, announced last July, moved into full-scale construction just four months later, making a large-scale investment centered on advanced semiconductor packaging a reality.

President Lee Jaemyung delivers congratulatory remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony for a mega-project in the Chungcheong region, held at the construction site of Samsung Electronics' Onyang Campus in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, on Nov. 12, 2026. Yonhap News Agency

President Lee made the remarks in a congratulatory address at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Chungcheong Region Mega-Project, held at Samsung Electronics’ Onyang Campus construction site in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, on the 12th. “Today, here in Chungcheong, three advanced investment projects that will transform Korea’s industrial landscape are getting underway,” he said. Joining the ceremonial groundbreaking were President Lee, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeongkwan, South Chungcheong Province Governor Park Soohyun, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jaeyong, Samsung Electronics outstanding employee Park Moonseong, and Daeduck Electronics CEO Kim Youngjae, among others.

“We will ensure that all investment plans not only in the Chungcheong region but also in the Honam and Yeongnam regions proceed without a hitch. The central and local governments will work as one team and take responsibility for delivering the necessary permits and approvals and building critical infrastructure, including power and water facilities,” President Lee said. “The government will bring all its policy capabilities to bear to ensure these mega-projects do more than expand companies’ production facilities into regional areas and are completed as ‘growth for all’ and ‘genuine balanced national development’ that tangibly improve the lives of local communities and the people.”

President Lee then thanked Chairman Lee, who attended the event, saying he had “made bold investment decisions and demonstrated the ability to execute them swiftly.” “Preparations for construction are proceeding without a hitch for the memory and advanced packaging fab in Cheongju, the AI data center in Dangjin, and the biopharmaceutical production facility in Osong,” he said. “Mega-projects that will drive Korea’s future are truly taking shape across the Chungcheong region.”

He also praised the local governments’ efforts, saying, “The dedicated work of local governments played a decisive role in bringing these ambitious plans to the groundbreaking stage in just four months.” He added, “South Chungcheong Province and Asan City significantly cut the time required for permits and approvals to one-third of the usual period, clearing the way for companies to begin construction earlier.”

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jaeyong delivers welcoming remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony for a mega-project in the Chungcheong region, held on Nov. 12 at a construction site at Samsung Electronics' Onyang Campus in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, with President Lee Jaemyung in attendance. Nov. 12, 2026. Yonhap News Agency

Samsung Electronics plans to invest a total of 1.3 trillion won to expand production facilities with clean rooms at its Onyang site. The new facility will cover 31,000 square meters, equivalent to the combined area of four soccer fields. Once completed, the site’s total area will increase from 270,000 to 420,000 square meters. Samsung Electronics will begin operating the new line in June 2028 and start mass-producing HBM, a key component in the AI era, in May 2029. Starting with this investment, the company plans to invest a total of 46 trillion won to build five advanced HBM packaging lines.

“This site, which was once focused on processes for simply assembling and testing conventional semiconductors, will be transformed into a state-of-the-art HBM hub at the heart of AI semiconductors,” Chairman Lee said. “With an even stronger sense of responsibility, we will actively pursue mega-projects not only here in Chungcheong but also in the Honam and Yeongnam regions to create an unrivaled success story for Korea.”

President Lee Jaemyung is shouting "Let's go!" after taking part in a commemorative groundbreaking ceremony with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jaeyong and others at the groundbreaking ceremony for mega-projects in the Chungcheong region, held at a construction site at Samsung Electronics' Onyang Campus in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, on the 12th. (From left) Samsung Electronics CEO Jeon Younghyun, Asan Mayor Oh Sehyun, South Chungcheong Province Governor Park Soohyun, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeongkwan, President Lee, Chairman Lee, Samsung Electronics outstanding employee Park Moonseong and his child, Daeduck Electronics CEO Kim Youngjae, and Chungnam National University student So Juyeon. 2026.11.12 Yonhap News.

Jeon Younghyun, head of Samsung Electronics’ Device Solutions (DS) division and vice chairman, presented the business plans. “To meet the rapidly growing demand for server memory, we are moving ahead with construction of Line 5 a year earlier than originally planned,” he said, announcing that Samsung Electronics would invest a total of 60 trillion won in the Chungcheong region, including in the new fab production line in Onyang. Samsung Display, Samsung SDI, and other affiliates also presented updates on their investments in the region.

After the groundbreaking ceremony, President Lee, guided by Chairman Lee, wrote and signed “Mega-Project, Unrivaled Nation” on “TSP (Test & System Package),” one of the Onyang plant’s main products. He then moved to a research building on the Onyang Campus to chair the fourth public-private review meeting on mega-projects. This was the fourth meeting chaired by President Lee himself. Participants discussed central and local government support measures to ensure the swift implementation of mega-projects, as well as ways to expand small and medium-sized enterprises’ roles and participation in spreading the benefits. The government announced a comprehensive support plan for mega-projects and measures to strengthen the role of small and medium-sized enterprises in spreading their benefits. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix announced plans to foster mutually beneficial partnerships with local small and medium-sized and mid-sized partner companies.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, President Lee stressed that the investment benefits of mega-projects were spreading beyond large corporations to the broader regional industrial ecosystem. “In the roughly four months since the mega-projects were announced, the government and businesses have moved beyond a speed race and into an all-out push, and changes are becoming increasingly visible on the ground,” he said. “In the Chungcheong region, six of the eight companies planning investments have begun investing in earnest.” He added, “On top of the 392 trillion won in investment originally planned, 112 companies in sectors such as semiconductors and biotechnology are expected to make additional investments totaling 23.6 trillion won.” He called this “a very positive sign,” saying the mega-projects were “not limited to investment by large corporations, but are also sparking technological innovation and investment by small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-sized partner companies, spreading throughout the broader industrial and regional ecosystem.”

President Lee also called on local governments to help accelerate the implementation of investments. “The role of local government leaders who are close to the sites is extremely important to speeding up investment,” he said, citing South Chungcheong Province’s efforts to bring forward construction schedules by appointing officials dedicated to each investment project, shortening permitting procedures, and improving regulations. “I ask you to share these best practices with other local governments and help apply them at investment sites in other regions as well,” he said. He particularly emphasized that “the benefits of regional investment are multiplied when workers and their families settle in the area,” adding, “I ask local governments to make every effort to provide the living conditions essential for settling down, including housing, transportation, and cultural amenities.”

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