South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on 24 September 2026 unveiled an ambitious roadmap to double his country's semiconductor production capacity within five years and build artificial intelligence (AI) supply chains resilient to external disruptions, while making a direct pitch for fresh US capital at a high-profile investor summit in New York.

Key Announcements at the Korea Investment Summit

Lee made the pledges at the Korea Investment Summit in New York, attended by senior financial and corporate leaders from both South Korea and the United States. The event was designed to promote American investment into South Korea and marked one of the most direct outreach efforts by a sitting South Korean president to the US business community in recent years.

The president pointed to the country's 'three megaprojects' — launched earlier in 2026 — to construct a chip production cluster and related AI infrastructure. He said the government would expand this hub to achieve the doubling of semiconductor output. 'Additionally, (we) will build critical AI supply chains that are not shaken by any shocks,' Lee said.

The 'Future Fund' and Market Reform Push

Lee also highlighted plans to channel gains from the ongoing AI chip boom into a new 'Future Fund', designed to develop industrial infrastructure and cultivate technical talent for emerging sectors. He framed the fund as a mechanism to provide stable, long-term support for industries that will define South Korea's next growth phase.

On the regulatory front, the president pledged sweeping market reforms to attract global capital — including legal revisions to enhance shareholder value and an expansion of the foreign exchange market to round-the-clock operations. 'We will double down on efforts to create market conditions in which global capital can invest freely and at any time,' he said.

Trump Talks and Shipbuilding Cooperation

Recalling summit talks with US President Donald Trump held the previous day, Lee said the two leaders had discussed cooperation in shipbuilding — particularly the construction of US military vessels. 'I expect that more tangible results may be generated in the future,' he told the investor relations event, signalling that defence-industrial ties could emerge as a significant pillar of the bilateral relationship.

Why This Matters

South Korea is home to global chip giants Samsung and SK Hynix, and the country's semiconductor sector is a linchpin of global electronics supply chains. Lee's push comes amid intensifying US-China tech rivalry, which has prompted Washington and its allies to accelerate efforts to nearshore and friendshore critical chip manufacturing. This is the first major foreign investment pitch by Lee since taking office, and signals that Seoul intends to position itself as an indispensable node in the US-aligned chip ecosystem. How quickly these pledges translate into binding investment commitments will be the key test in the months ahead.