Lee’s office says AI era demands ‘bigger state role’ amid mega project backlash

Cheong Wa Dae is positioning President Lee Jae Myung’s three mega projects — spanning semiconductors, AI data centers and physical AI — as a state-led strategy to build South Korea’s production base for the AI era, amid growing criticism from the opposition bloc.

The presidential office has rejected criticism that the projects are political showpieces for favored regions, saying they are instead a plan to build the national production system behind AI — from power and water to chips, data center ...