President Lee Jae-myung held a dinner meeting with Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee on the 26th and personally reviewed the progress of investments in three mega projects, including a semiconductor cluster in the Honam region, according to sources. Following an earlier meeting with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, the president is holding a series of talks with the heads of major conglomerates, addressing corporate investment bottlenecks while accelerating joint public-private responses to key issues including investment in the United States.
Political and business sources said the president met privately with the Samsung chairman for dinner that day. He is also scheduled to meet Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chairman Euisun Chung soon. Honam investment appears to have been a main item on the agenda, given that the Honam semiconductor cluster, in which both Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are participating, is being pursued as a core government project.
The president's widening contacts with the heads of major companies are seen as reflecting a determination to build a "one team" framework between the government and the business sector to speed up investment in the three mega projects — semiconductors, physical artificial intelligence and AI data centers.
The talks are believed to have covered government support for relocating the Gwangju military air base and for building power and water supply networks, both seen as key prerequisites for the Honam semiconductor cluster. The two may also have exchanged views on the selection of a presidential office coordinator for the mega projects, a post the president has outlined himself. The presidential office is searching for a candidate with a strong understanding of industrial operations, sources said.
U.S. pressure for investment is also among the main issues. With Washington stepping up pressure for semiconductor investment following the announcement of the mega projects, the president is thought to have listened to the corporate side's position on response strategies. During tariff negotiations between South Korea and the United States last year, the president also met successively with the heads of major companies to activate a public-private cooperation framework.
