AI megaprojects, inflation pressure and Korea’s football reckoning — Ep. 139

This week, the team discusses the Lee administration’s $1 trillion “Three Mega Projects” blueprint, which aims to expand South Korea’s semiconductor, AI data center, advanced packaging and robotics sectors while building a new industrial base in the Honam region. The conversation then turns to domestic politics, as the ruling Democratic Party secures 11 of the National Assembly’s 18 standing committees after a People Power Party boycott, giving the ruling bloc control over key legislative choke points as it pushes President Lee Jae Myung’s agenda. The team also looks at June’s 3.2% inflation reading, the KOSPI sell-off and investor concerns over whether Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix can sustain major AI-related investments in both South Korea and the U.S. Later, they discuss Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha’s visit to Seoul, including the fate of North Korean prisoners of war captured while fighting for Russia and discrepancies between Seoul and Kyiv’s readouts on security cooperation. The episode also covers Han Seong-sook’s appointment as prime minister, President Lee’s criticism of the Korea Football Association after South Korea’s World Cup exit and the risks of government intervention in football governance. About the podcast: The Korea Pro Podcast is a weekly conversation hosted by Korea Risk Group Executive Director Jeongmin Kim, Managing Editor John Lee and correspondent Joon Ha Park, delivering deep, clear analysis of South Korean politics, diplomacy, security, society and technology for professionals who need more than headlines. Uploaded every Friday. This episode was recorded on Thursday, July 2, 2026. Audio edited by Alannah Hill