Saemangeum to Become an International Submarine Cable Hub Following Hyundai Motor's 9 Trillion Won Investment

By Choi Seoyoon, The Asia Business Daily
July 9, 2026

An international submarine cable landing station connecting Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, and other countries will be established in the Saemangeum National Industrial Complex. Following the attraction of the Hyundai Motor Group artificial intelligence (AI) data center, Saemangeum has now secured an international communication network capable of rapidly exchanging overseas data, laying the groundwork to expand from a manufacturing-centered industrial complex into a key hub for digital infrastructure.

The Saemangeum Development Agency, North Jeolla Special Self-Governing Province, Gunsan City, and Korea Rural Community Corporation announced on the 9th that they recently signed an investment agreement with Dreamline, a leading domestic business-to-business (B2B) telecommunications company, to build the ‘AUG (Asia United Gateway) East' cable landing station within the Saemangeum National Industrial Complex. Dreamline is one of South Korea's five major telecommunication carriers (KT, SK Broadband, LG Uplus, Dreamline, Sejong Telecom) and operates an optical cable network of approximately 58,000 km nationwide.

A cable landing station is a key facility that brings international submarine cables from under the sea onto land and connects them to the domestic communication network. While airports and ports serve as gateways for people and goods, cable landing stations are the primary gateways for international data entering and leaving the country. The competitiveness of the regional data industry depends on the location of these facilities. Once this facility is established, domestic and overseas companies using Saemangeum data centers will be able to exchange large volumes of data more reliably. This means that Saemangeum, once focused on manufacturing, can expand as a digital infrastructure hub equipped with both an AI data center and an international communication network.

‘AUG East' is a high-speed international submarine cable project connecting eight countries, including Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan, spanning a total length of 8,900 km. Eleven global companies, including Dreamline, are participating in the project, which is scheduled to open in the second half of 2029. Dreamline plans to build the cable landing station in Section 2 of the Saemangeum National Industrial Complex, with construction set to begin in January 2027 and global communication services to be provided starting in 2029.