New Prime Minister Accelerates South Korea AI Push

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, in her first public remarks after the National Assembly endorsed her appointment on June 30, 2026, told reporters at Government Complex Seoul that "Korea is no longer simply catching up in an era of sweeping transformation but is instead emerging as a country that leads such transformation" (The Korea Times). She said "we will make bolder investments in AI and advanced industries while actively pursuing regulatory reform to remove barriers to innovation," and that "the government must move more quickly to ensure necessary policies are implemented in a timely manner" (The Korea Times; Chosun). Han referenced the Lee Jae Myung administration's recently announced "Great Leap Forward" megaprojects spanning semiconductors, AI, and AI data centers. Those megaprojects include an 800 trillion won (roughly $518 billion) semiconductor investment drive centered on the Honam region, backed by Samsung and SK Hynix (Al Jazeera; CNBC).

Han previously served as CEO of Naver, South Korea's largest internet company, and most recently as minister of SMEs and startups under the Lee administration, giving her direct industry experience with AI-adjacent commercial operations before taking the premiership. She is the second woman to hold the role in 20 years, following Han Myeong-sook (2006-2007); her predecessor Kim Min-seok is returning to the ruling Democratic Party of Korea to run for party chair.

Executive-level pledges to accelerate regulatory reform and investment typically shorten timelines for public procurement, R&D grants, and subsidized compute or data-center capacity, but they are not themselves binding policy. Teams evaluating Korean AI-chip supply chains or data-center capacity should watch for ministry-level implementation of the semiconductor megaprojects rather than treat Han's remarks alone as a change in available capacity or funding.

Follow-up announcements specifying funding mechanisms, timelines, or regulatory changes tied to the megaprojects; whether the National Assembly or relevant ministries publish concrete deregulation measures referenced in Han's remarks; and how Samsung and SK Hynix's investment commitments under the semiconductor drive translate into AI-accelerator production capacity.

This fits a broader pattern of governments treating AI infrastructure as strategic industrial policy, pairing symbolic executive commitments with previously announced large-scale capital programs. The substantive commitment here (the 800 trillion won semiconductor drive) predates Han's remarks by several days; her comments function as executive-level reinforcement and acceleration signaling rather than a new policy in themselves.