Kim Dong-yeon: "I Will Make Hanam Gyosan New City Korea's Flagship 'AI City'"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gapdong] Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon stated, "I will mobilize all capabilities to make Hanam Gyosan New City a key hub leading Korea's AI industry."

Governor Kim made the remarks on the 21st through a keynote speech at the forum on 'Sustainable Future Cities and Strengthening National AI Competitiveness' held at the National Assembly Members' Hall.

Governor Kim Dong-yeon said, "AI has now transcended being a mere tool for industrial innovation to become a core strategic asset determining paradigm shifts for the nation. Gyeonggi Province has been pioneering models for digital transformation—including establishing digital hubs and fostering AI technovalleys—to develop independent competitiveness amid global AI hegemony competition," and added, "Among these, what is most directly connected to residents' lives is the 'AI City.' It is a new urban model where AI technology enhances urban sustainability while AI industries, research, and jobs are organically interconnected."

Governor Kim then introduced the AI Innovation Cluster being promoted within the Hanam Gyosan Public Housing District.

Governor Kim stated, "Gyeonggi Province plans to make Hanam Gyosan New City Korea's flagship 'AI City' and will proceed at a rapid pace," and emphasized, "The AI/DATA Innovation Cluster is a comprehensive collection of infrastructure, personnel, and technology for realizing the AI City, encompassing data centers, research facilities, and AI training centers. Since the entire city is planned to be designed as Net-zero, I expect it to become an exemplary model of the most ideal and desirable future city."

The Hanam Gyosan AI Innovation Cluster will invest 2.3 trillion won (excluding land costs) in self-sufficient sites within the Hanam Gyosan Public Housing District to develop an AI/DATA industry cluster spanning 71,000 square meters (364,000 square meters in total floor area, 10 buildings) from next year through 2030. The cluster will house an Artificial Intelligence Graduate School, AI Training Center, AI Data Center, AI Research Center, and Supercomputer Center, among others. The project operator is a consortium led by POSTECH-KTI, comprising world-class AI universities and research institutions including POSTECH, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and National University of Singapore (NUS), as well as KT Cloud and KT Investment & Operations.

To date, Gyeonggi Province has been coordinating with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Hanam City, LH (Korea Land and Housing Corporation), and GH (Gyeonggi Housing & Urban Development Corporation) since July 2023 to attract the AI Innovation Cluster. To resolve the long-stalled issue of attracting businesses and educational facilities in Hanam, the province repeatedly recommended to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport that the 'Land Development Business Procedures Guidelines' be revised. Following the revised guidelines, which now grant city and provincial governors recommendation authority over business sites, the province became the first in the nation to enact the 'Ordinance for Activating Business Attraction to Public Housing Districts' last month.

Following final coordination with relevant agencies, the province will proceed with receipt of investment proposals and deliberations, with plans to finalize occupancy agreements between September and October.

Meanwhile, at this forum co-hosted by National Assembly Member Choo Mi-ae's office and the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), urban planning and AI experts discussed △ global AI hegemony competition and our countermeasures, △ policy directions and tasks for implementing Korean-style AI cities, and △ measures for innovative urban spaces in sustainable third-phase new cities.