"Jeonbuk is home to numerous factories and industries, ranging from agriculture and fisheries to livestock. Physical AI can bring productivity innovation across every single one of these sectors—it does not operate in isolation."

 

Jeonbuk State announced on September 14 that Ha Jung-woo, former Senior Advisor for AI Future to the President, delivered a special lecture titled "AI Strategy for an Irreplaceable Korea and Growth Opportunities for Jeonbuk" on September 13 at the Aurum Campus in Jeongeup, during the "9th Popularly Elected Administration Public Sovereignty Great Transformation State-Municipalities Co-prosperity Policy Tour."

 

Ha, who helped map out the nation’s AI strategy, proposed a growth plan dividing Jeonbuk into six major regions. "Saemangeum can generate 24 hour carbon-reduced power using solar, offshore wind, ESS (Energy Storage Systems), and green hydrogen. On top of that, it can host large-scale AI data centers, Neo Cloud platforms, computing-optimized deep tech, and robot foundries—making it a core hub for energy and Physical AI," he explained. He added, "When coupled with a power equipment and thermal management materials, components, and equipment (MCE) valley, it will unlock transition opportunities for existing manufacturing firms."

 

Jeonbuk's role was defined around the concept of a "common platform." Ha emphasized, "The goal isn't to bring factories from the government's 7 SEED Projects (cutting-edge sectors including SMRs, nuclear fusion, renewable energy, quantum, aerospace, advanced bio, and advanced materials/components) to Jeonbuk. Rather, it's about building a common platform in Jeonbuk to commercialize core foundational technologies created by the 3 Mega Projects and the 7 SEED Projects. The key is how effectively we leverage what has been created to expand the scale and competitiveness of local industries."

 

He also addressed national strategy. The government's 3 Mega Projects consist of: the "AI Superhighway" securing over 50,000 GPUs; the "K-Semiconductor & AI Factory" building an advanced semiconductor ecosystem; and the "Physical AI 5 Leading Projects" covering manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, construction, and services. "While the 3 Mega Projects represent our present growth engine, the 7 SEED Projects represent our future growth engine for 10 to 20 years down the line," Ha noted. "The two share a complementary relationship that drives mutual growth."