President Lee Orders Acceleration of "3 Mega Projects" Amidst Opposition Criticism

President Lee Jae-myung has ordered a swift acceleration of "3 mega projects" focused on substantial investments in semiconductors, physical artificial intelligence (AI), and AI data centers. During a joint public-private review meeting at the Blue House on July 6, 2026, the president stressed the importance of proactively securing essential resources such as electricity and water, treating their availability as a prerequisite for project advancement.

Addressing criticisms from the opposition regarding alleged regional favoritism and the feasibility of these projects, President Lee urged them to refrain from significant obstruction. "Even if you cannot cooperate, I hope you do not significantly hinder us," he stated, questioning the opposition's contradictory stance of calling the projects impossible while also protesting perceived regional imbalances.

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Even if you cannot cooperate, I hope you do not significantly hinder us.

President Lee emphasized that the current era is defined by a global race for AI supremacy, where speed is paramount. "A completely new future is being prepared, centered around artificial intelligence," he remarked. "In such a situation, it seems to be decided by who secures it first and how much faster they are. It is truly a matter of speed."

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A completely new future is being prepared, centered around artificial intelligence. In such a situation, it seems to be decided by who secures it first and how much faster they are. It is truly a matter of speed.

He highlighted administrative procedures as a key bottleneck, citing the example of the Yongin general industrial complex, which took six years from site confirmation to groundbreaking. "Even if it's considered fast, it doesn't seem that fast by my standards," Lee commented, urging for the elimination of delays caused by compensation issues.

To expedite land acquisition, the president directed that negotiations and compulsory acquisition procedures should commence simultaneously. He also suggested that environmental impact assessments, if already conducted for a region, should be utilized, or if new assessments are necessary, their duration should be significantly shortened. "This is not an event," President Lee declared, framing the mega projects as a "historic turning point for balanced national development in Korea."

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This is not an event. It is a historic turning point for balanced national development in Korea.