Gov't unveils power, infrastructure plans to back megaprojects

The government unveiled on Monday a sweeping infrastructure package under its megaproject initiative, pledging to accelerate electricity, water supplies and build corporate-led high-tech cities to anchor large-scale investments in those three areas. The initiative centers on three flagship projects: an 800 trillion won ($585 billion) semiconductor expansion led by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, a 550 trillion won artificial intelligence (AI) data center buildout backed by SK Group, GS Group and Naver and a nationwide push to commercialize physical AI through large-scale public-private investment. To support the initiative, the government plans to expand infrastructure by delivering power and industrial water to key sites while overhauling the electricity grid to cope with surging demand from semiconductor fabs and AI servers. “The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment will ensure that the 6.3 gigawatts of electricity and 650,000 tons of water needed for the southwestern semiconductor plants are supplied on time without disruption,” Climate, Energy and Environment Minister K