[Saemangeum = E-Daily Reporter LEE DAWON ] As we entered the Saemangeum area from Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, a vast reclaimed land area stretched out before us, so vast that its end was barely visible. This is Section 7 of the Saemangeum National Industrial Complex. What was once the sea just a few years ago has now become a 405,000 pyeong site—equivalent to about 190 soccer fields—and is preparing to welcome a large-scale investment from the Hyundai Motor Group.

When I visited the site on the 11th, work to lay the groundwork was in full swing, following the start of construction on the industrial complex last March. Although the site is currently being leveled rather than housing factories, it will be transformed into an industrial hub for producing robots and training artificial intelligence (AI) once Hyundai Motor Group’s first domestic robot manufacturing plant and AI data center are established there. Hyundai Motor Group requires approximately 340,000 pyeong of land alone. The Saemangeum Development Agency plans to develop the site in phases to align with Hyundai Motor Group’s move-in schedule, with the first phase—covering approximately 120,000 pyeong—to be completed by 2029.

Preparations to welcome Hyundai Motor were also underway outside Section 7. Development plans across Saemangeum—ranging from energy production facilities to supply the electricity and hydrogen needed for the robot manufacturing plant and AI data center to the nearby waterfront city and transportation and logistics networks—are all interlocking, centered around Hyundai Motor’s investment.

The scale of investment planned by Hyundai Motor Group is approximately 8.9 trillion won. It will invest 5.8 trillion won in the AI data center, 1.3 trillion won in solar power generation, 1 trillion won in a water electrolysis plant, and about 400 billion won each in AI and robotics, as well as the AI Hydrogen City.

Hyundai Motor Group plans to begin construction of the AI data center in March of next year and to start investing in Korea’s first robot manufacturing plant beginning in 2028. The AI data center, equipped with 50,000 GPUs, will be used for autonomous driving and robot training, among other applications. The group also envisions establishing a hub by producing wearable devices, logistics robots, and delivery robots nearby and integrating them with AI training. The data center will initially be built with a capacity of 100 MW, with plans to expand it in the future based on demand.

Separately, a renewable energy production base will be established. The plan is to convert Block 3 of the existing agricultural and bio-industry zone into an energy zone to build a large-scale onshore solar power facility. The renewable energy produced there will be utilized by the AI data center and the electrolysis plant, among other facilities. The 200MW electrolysis plant is expected to produce approximately 20,000 metric tons of green hydrogen annually, which will be supplied to hydrogen mobility solutions and industrial facilities.

Hyundai Motor’s investment is also linked to the development of the nearby Smart Waterfront City. The Waterfront City is currently under construction in the heart of Saemangeum, covering an area of 6.25 km² with a planned population of approximately 39,000 and 19,000 residential units. After completing land reclamation work on 6.16 km² in June 2023, phased site development is currently underway. The vast reclaimed land was surrounded by the sea, and windbreak forests were being planted throughout the area. Nevertheless, the site is attracting significant attention. During last year’s first sales offering, 67 lots for single-family homes and 2 lots for neighborhood commercial facilities sold out in just 31 days, and a second sales offering is planned for September of this year.

Plans to integrate Hyundai Motor’s AI and robotics technologies into this waterfront city are also under discussion. The “AI City Master Plan,” which the Saemangeum Development Corporation is currently negotiating with Hyundai Motor, envisions a future city where mobility, energy, robotics, and AI are interconnected. It is reported that they are reviewing plans to implement autonomous-driving-based mobility and robotics throughout the city, as well as designating part of the apartment complex site as an “AI Village.”

Transportation and logistics networks connecting industrial complexes and the city are also being expanded. Following the opening of the Saemangeum–Jeonju Expressway last year, two berths at the general cargo terminal of the Saemangeum New Port are scheduled to open by the end of this year. According to the Saemangeum Development Agency, as internal east-west and north-south roads have been completed, travel time within Saemangeum has been reduced from 50–60 minutes in the past to about 20 minutes.

Saemangeum, which for a long time focused on reclaiming land from the sea, is now moving into the phase of attracting businesses and industries to that land. Starting with Hyundai Motor’s production facilities, efforts are underway to establish a comprehensive ecosystem encompassing energy, transportation, logistics, and a supporting city. An official from the Saemangeum Development Agency stated, “We will do our utmost to actively attract high-tech industries such as robotics, AI, and hydrogen, and to create an industrial ecosystem where companies can invest and grow.”