![Rep. Min Hyung-bae announced his plan to build an AI Data Superhighway on the 10th. The photo shows a bird\'s-eye rendering of the southern region\'s industrial fiber-optic national backbone. [Photo: Office of Rep. Min Hyung-bae]](https://contents-cdn.viewus.co.kr/image/2026/03/CP-2023-0070/image-885da0e4-0659-41dd-a444-09b324706f99.jpeg)
Rep. Min Hyung-bae, who is running in the Democratic Party primary for the Jeonnam–Gwangju special mayoral election, announced on the 10th a proposal to build an AI Data Superhighway linking Busan and Gwangju.
The AI Data Superhighway would be a high-speed, dedicated data network built on industrial fiber-optic (dark fiber) cables running from the international subsea cable hub in Gijang, Busan, along the southern coastal industrial belt.
In a press release, Min said he would establish industrial fiber-optic cable—often described as the veins of future industry—as a national backbone to create a high-speed data network connecting Busan, Yeosu, Haenam and Gwangju.
He proposes installing industrial fiber from Gijang in Busan to the Yeosu national industrial complex to create a direct data corridor to the international subsea cable hub, and linking the Haenam Solasido data center cluster with the Gwangju AI data center into a single network.
Min said the plan aims to spur manufacturing innovation by integrating Gwangju's AI capabilities into the production processes of heavy chemical manufacturers in the Yeosu industrial complex, while also building the foundation to attract large-scale data centers.
He added, \"Although Jeonnam and Gwangju have abundant renewable energy and an AI cluster, they have lacked industrial fiber infrastructure and have faced limits in attracting companies. Once the AI Data Superhighway is built, Jeonnam and Gwangju will grow into advanced industrial hubs capable of attracting global AI and cloud firms such as Microsoft and OpenAI.\"
Min said, \"If the energy superhighway and the AI Data Superhighway are combined, Jeonnam and Gwangju will become a cradle for new industries. By completing the two pillars of new-industry infrastructure—energy and data—we will redraw South Korea's industrial map from Jeonnam and Gwangju.\"
