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3w ago

South Korea Launches Ulsan AI Data Center as Lee Pledges Full-Scale Support

The Ulsan data center marks a cornerstone of a national vision backed by bold policy measures to rebuild South Korea’s AI talent pool.

Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of Amazon logo in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a ceremony at the Exhibition and Convention Center in the southeastern industrial city of Ulsan on June 20, 2025, to launch a joint project by SK Group and Amazon Web Services to build an artificial intelligence (AI) data center.
Park Jin-hyo (L), CEO of SK Broadband, and Prasad Kalyanaraman, vice president of AWS Infrastructure Services at Amazon Web Services, sign an agreement on the construction of the artificial intelligence data center during a ceremony held at the Ulsan Exhibition & Convention Center in the southeastern city of Ulsan on June 20, 2025. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
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Overview

  • South Korea, SK Group and Amazon Web Services are investing roughly 7 trillion won ($5.11 billion) in a 100-megawatt AI data center in Ulsan, with plans to scale up to 1 gigawatt.
  • President Lee Jae-myung vowed to make AI a core growth engine by offering tax incentives, regulatory reforms and state-led orders for AI applications.
  • The president has named AI researcher Ha Jung-woo as the nation’s first senior presidential secretary for AI policy to steer implementation of the AI strategy.
  • Official data show South Korea ranks 35th in net AI talent mobility among OECD countries and faces an expected shortfall of nearly 15,000 AI professionals by the end of 2025.
  • Policymakers emphasize a comprehensive ‘brain gain’ approach that includes flexible labor rules, performance-based rewards and enhanced research support to retain and attract AI talent.