{"slug": "s-chungcheong-will-lead-ai-and-advanced-manufacturing-governor-park", "title": "S. Chungcheong will lead AI and advanced manufacturing: Governor Park", "summary": "South Chungcheong Governor Park Soo-hyun said the province will lead South Korea's artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing, citing more than 200 trillion won ($142 billion) in planned investments under the government's Mega Project. Park pledged to turn investment commitments into factories, jobs and higher incomes, and to integrate semiconductor, display, battery and AI industries into a single advanced manufacturing ecosystem.", "body_md": "HONGSEONG, South Chungcheong Province — South Chungcheong Governor Park Soo-hyun believes the province is at a historic turning point. With more than 200 trillion won ($142 billion) in planned investments tied to the government's recently announced Mega Project, Park says South Chungcheong has an unprecedented opportunity to establish itself as South Korea's leader in artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing.\n\nCalling the investment package \"the greatest opportunity since the founding of the nation,\" Park pledged that his administration would focus on translating investment commitments into jobs, industrial growth and regional prosperity.\n\nWhile in office, Park will seek to build on many of the initiatives launched by his predecessor, Kim Tae-heum, while emphasizing communication, balanced development and AI-driven innovation as the pillars of his administration.\n\nIn an interview with The Korea Herald at the South Chungcheong Provincial Government office in Hongseong in July, Park discussed his policy priorities, the province's AI strategy, research and development plans, and preparations for the 2027 FISU Summer World University Games.\n\nThe following are edited excerpts from the interview.\n\nQ. You won the election by a comfortable margin. What was your first thought after taking office?\n\nA. I felt honored, but even more than that, I felt an enormous sense of responsibility.\n\nThroughout the campaign, I carried three notebooks in which I recorded residents' concerns in very small handwriting. I call them my \"Chungnam Notebooks.\" To me, those three notebooks feel as though they weigh three tons because they represent the promises I made to our residents.\n\nAs a lawmaker, there was always time to revise legislation or correct mistakes through committee deliberations. A governor does not have that luxury. The moment I sign a document, it immediately affects people's lives.\n\nI intend to honor every promise recorded in those notebooks and govern for all residents, including those who did not vote for me. My goal is to build a united South Chungcheong, not one divided by politics.\n\nQ. What are the defining priorities of your administration?\n\nA. Communication will define our administration. Artificial intelligence will define South Chungcheong’s future, and balanced development will define our governance.\n\nOur motto, \"Connected South Chungcheong,\" is much more than a campaign slogan. It means that residents' voices will be reflected throughout policymaking, budgeting, personnel management and provincial administration.\n\nWhile pursuing our vision of making South Chungcheong South Korea's AI capital, we also want to ensure that the benefits of industrial growth are shared with young people, small and medium-sized enterprises, farming and fishing communities, and socially vulnerable groups.\n\nWe will preserve effective policies from the previous administration while improving areas that require change.\n\nQ. South Chungcheong has been allocated 202 trillion won under the government's Mega Project. How will you ensure the investment produces tangible results?\n\nA. Our priority is to ensure the 202 trillion won does not remain simply an investment announcement. It must become factories, jobs and higher incomes for local residents.\n\nWe will integrate South Chungcheong’s semiconductor, display, battery and AI industries into a single advanced manufacturing ecosystem. That includes high-bandwidth memory production in Cheonan and Asan, next-generation display technologies, battery manufacturing facilities and AI data centers.\n\nThe provincial government will move quickly to secure the infrastructure needed to support these investments, including industrial land, water resources and transportation networks. We will also establish a joint task force with the central government and private companies to accelerate implementation.\n\nEqually important, we want local businesses to benefit from these investments. By expanding local procurement, joint research projects and workforce development, we will create opportunities for SMEs and mid-sized companies to participate alongside major corporations.\n\nOur goal is to transform South Chungcheong’s share of the 392 trillion won allocated across the Chungcheong region into the production capacity that secures South Korea's global leadership in AI and semiconductors.\n\nQ. You have described this as \"the greatest opportunity since the founding of the nation.\" Why?\n\nA. South Chungcheong has been given a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead Korea's AI transformation through large-scale investment in advanced industries.\n\nTo seize that opportunity, we are focusing on what I call the \"Three Powers\" — electricity, water and human resources.\n\nElectricity is already one of South Chungcheong’s strengths. We rank among the nation's leading regions in power generation. Water is another matter. We are currently conducting feasibility studies to determine future industrial demand and whether additional capacity will be required.\n\nAt the same time, we are investing heavily in workforce development because talented people will ultimately determine whether AI industries succeed.\n\nQ. What competitive advantages does South Chungcheong have over other regions?\n\nA. Many regions must begin from scratch when attracting major investments. That means years spent selecting sites, completing administrative procedures and preparing infrastructure before construction even begins.\n\nSouth Chungcheong is in a very different position.\n\nWe already have one of Korea's strongest industrial foundations in semiconductors, displays and advanced manufacturing, particularly around Cheonan and Asan. What companies need here is expansion, not greenfield development.\n\nThat means investment can begin generating production, exports and employment much sooner.\n\nIf the southwestern Honam region specializes in semiconductor front-end production, South Chungcheong is positioned to dominate advanced packaging and back-end processing. Those two sectors complement rather than compete with each other.\n\nQ. You have proposed what you call a \"South Chungcheong-style AI Transformation.\" How does it differ from other regions' AI strategies?\n\nA. Most local governments view AI primarily as an industrial policy.\n\nI believe that approach is incomplete.\n\nDuring Korea's digital transformation, many people were left behind. We cannot allow the AI transition to create even greater inequality. That is why our AI strategy emphasizes balance in three areas.\n\nFirst, we need balance between technological innovation and people's lives.\n\nSecond, we need balance between large corporations and SMEs. Large companies have the resources to adopt AI independently, but suppliers and smaller businesses often do not. Local governments should help bridge that gap.\n\nThird, AI should not be limited to high-tech manufacturing. Agriculture, fisheries, forestry and livestock industries also need AI solutions to improve productivity and competitiveness.\n\nIf South Chungcheong succeeds in achieving that balance, it could become a national model for AI-driven regional development.\n\nQ. What are your plans for research and development?\n\nA. Naepo New Town, where the provincial government is located, will become South Chungcheong's central R&D hub, but innovation should not be concentrated in a single location.\n\nInstead, we plan to establish specialized regional research networks.\n\nThe Naepo campus of Chungnam National University recently passed the central government's investment review and is scheduled to open in 2031. It will specialize in animal disease control, biohealth, digital agriculture and future mobility.\n\nOther regions will build on their existing strengths. Cheonan and Asan will focus on semiconductors, displays and manufacturing AI. Seosan and Dangjin will specialize in petrochemicals, steel and hydrogen energy. Nonsan and Gyeryong will develop defense technologies, while the southwestern region will concentrate on agricultural sciences and marine biotechnology.\n\nBy connecting universities, research institutes and businesses across these regions, we aim to make the entire province one integrated R&D campus.\n\nQ. The Chungcheong region will host the FISU Summer World University Games next year. How are preparations progressing?\n\nA. The Universiade is certainly one of our biggest challenges.\n\nPreparations slowed considerably during the political turmoil surrounding former President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration, and naturally there are concerns about avoiding problems similar to those experienced during the World Scout Jamboree.\n\nHowever, the governors and mayors of the Chungcheong region have continued working together through the Chungcheong Metropolitan Alliance.\n\nFrom my experience at the Blue House during preparations for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, I learned that even when preparations begin under difficult circumstances, success is possible if governments work together with determination.\n\nWe saw the same with the APEC Summit in Gyeongju. Although there were concerns after the change in administration, cooperation enabled the event to proceed successfully.\n\nAs chairman of the Chungcheong Metropolitan Alliance, I will work closely with all partners to ensure the Universiade is a success.\n\n(Profile)\n\nPark Soo-hyun | Governor of South Chungcheong Province\n\n• Born in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province (1964)\n\n• Studied Western History at Seoul National University (1983)\n\n• B.A. in Public Administration, Korea National Open University (2001)\n\n• M.P.A., Graduate School of Public Administration, Yonsei University (2002)\n\n• Presidential spokesperson, Blue House (2017)\n\n• Chief of staff to the speaker of the National Assembly (2018)\n\n• Senior presidential secretary for public communication, Blue House (2021)\n\n• Chair of the National Planning Committee's Special Committee on Balanced Growth (2025)\n\n• Chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea (2025)\n\n• Member of the 19th and 22nd National Assembly, representing Gongju-Buyeo-Cheongyang in South Chungcheong Province\n\n• 40th Governor of South Chungcheong Province (2026–present)\n\nshinyb@heraldcorp.com", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/s-chungcheong-will-lead-ai-and-advanced-manufacturing-governor-park", "canonical_source": "https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10835451", "published_at": "2026-08-10 00:08:17+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-10 00:38:27.347346+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-policy", "ai-infrastructure"], "entities": ["Park Soo-hyun", "South Chungcheong Province", "The Korea Herald", "Kim Tae-heum", "FISU Summer World University Games"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/s-chungcheong-will-lead-ai-and-advanced-manufacturing-governor-park", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/s-chungcheong-will-lead-ai-and-advanced-manufacturing-governor-park.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/s-chungcheong-will-lead-ai-and-advanced-manufacturing-governor-park.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/s-chungcheong-will-lead-ai-and-advanced-manufacturing-governor-park.jsonld"}}