Shin Su-jeong, Gwangju City Council Member, Says "AI Project Is an Empty Shell"

Questioning the Technical Capability of 'NHN' in Building the National AI Data Center

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City’s flagship project, the ‘AI-Centered Industrial Convergence Complex,’ is facing claims that the project may be delayed as it is encountering difficulties from the very first stage, including land acquisition.

On the 30th, Shin Su-jeong, a Gwangju Metropolitan Council member (Democratic Party, Buk-gu 3), raised questions during the 3rd plenary session of the 296th extraordinary meeting regarding “the most critical land issues in the Gwangju AI-Centered Industrial Convergence Complex (hereafter AI Complex) project and the national AI data center construction plan.”

Councilor Shin asked why the site chosen during the AI Complex project planning was the Cheomdan 3 District, where compensation procedures are contentious, instead of the development site near GIST (owned by LH, 14,000 pyeong). She criticized, “Before the official approval notice of the Cheomdan 3 District implementation plan, Gwangju City showed a secretive administration by seeking separate legal advice on land sales and building permits without any communication with the landowners of the AI Complex site.”

She continued, “Since no land compensation procedures have been initiated, there are concerns about project setbacks,” urging, “Gwangju City should actively communicate with the landowners.”

She also argued, “Selecting NHN for the data center under the BOO (Build-Own-Operate) model, where the private sector leads funding, construction, ownership, and operation, essentially hands over a national data center to the private sector,” adding, “Like Naver’s Chuncheon Data Center, it could become a ‘castle for themselves,’ so public interest measures must be secured.”

In response, Mayor Lee Yong-seop said, “Choosing ‘Artificial Intelligence’ for a just and prosperous Gwangju is like choosing a path no one has taken before,” and appealed, “I ask the local community and the council to join forces for the successful realization of this challenging AI project.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.