Samsung Group to pledge 1,000 trillion won investment over 10 years

Samsung Group plans to pledge 1,000 trillion won ($648 billion) in investment across South Korea over the next decade, a media report said on Friday. The announcement is scheduled for Monday, June 29. Top executives from Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are expected to attend a meeting with President Lee Jae Myung and present plans that extend beyond the Seoul region.

Investment scope Samsung's portion is reported to include spending on AI data centers, batteries, and displays. It may also involve a 300 trillion won effort to build chip factories in the country's southwest. The presidential office said it will unveil three mega-projects on Monday covering semiconductors, AI data centers, and robotics.

A policy adviser stated that government and industry will jointly outline the plans, with significant investment expected.

Regional considerations Chip production has been concentrated around Seoul, prompting political pressure for broader regional development. Opposition lawmakers have accused the government of pressuring companies to invest in the ruling party's southwestern areas ahead of an internal leadership contest.

Samsung and SK Hynix declined to comment on the report. South Korea dominates global production of high-end memory chips used in AI data centers, and both companies have recorded large profits from rising demand. A policy adviser noted that faster-than-expected AI-driven memory demand may require projects originally planned for the 2040s to be advanced to the mid-2030s.

Further concentration around Seoul could raise property prices and widen inequality, the adviser said.

Political context The debate over where new semiconductor facilities should be located intensified ahead of June local elections. Lee won 49.42 percent of the national vote in the June 2025 presidential election but received about 85 percent in Gwangju and neighboring South Jeolla.