● Advancing Saemangeum as a Future-Oriented Industrial Hub Driven by Large-Scale Investment in Emerging Industries

a​Over the next five years, Hyundai Motor Group plans to invest approximately KRW 9 trillion in the Saemangeum area. The investment—focused on emerging sectors such as AI data centers, renewable energy, hydrogen, and robotics—is projected to generate approximately KRW 16 trillion in economic spillover effects and an estimated 71,000 direct and indirect jobs.

a​While such large-scale investments can serve as a catalyst for attracting young talent, advanced-industry clustering alone is unlikely to secure sustained youth inflow and long-term settlement.

● The Hsinchu Science Park Case: Lessons on Facilitating Youth Inflow through the Integration of Quality Employment Opportunities and Favorable Living Conditions

a​The effective integration of advanced-industry clustering, industry–academia–research linkages, and a live–work environment can create a virtuous cycle of quality employment and favorable settlement conditions, contributing to sustained youth inflow and the maintenance of a youthful demographic structure.

● The Loudoun County, Northern Virginia Case: Lessons on the Limitations of Advanced-Industry Clustering in Supporting Youth Inflow and Settlement

a​By contrast, the combination of a data center–oriented industrial structure, limited job creation, and high housing costs can hinder youth inflow and settlement, even in the presence of advanced-industry clustering.

● Highlighting Structural Barriers to Youth Settlement Associated with the Employment Opportunities–Living Conditions Mismatch

a​A statistical analysis indicates that youth inflow is driven more by youth employment opportunities and favorable living conditions than by advanced-industry clustering.

a​While Jeonbuk enjoys favorable living conditions relative to other regions, it faces a structural challenge: living infrastructure is concentrated in major urban centers, whereas access to essential services remains limited in the Saemangeum area, resulting in a spatially fragmented living environment.

● Fostering Youth Settlement by Creating a Livable Environment and Strengthening Metropolitan Linkages

a​Future pol​icies should be designed to support the full continuum, from youth attraction and retention to long-term settlement, by establishing a livable environment within Saemangeum and expanding the functional living area through enhanced linkages with existing regional hub cities.

● Pursuing a Phased Strategy for Long-Term Youth Settlement

a​Achieving long-term youth settlement requires a phased and coordinated approach that establishes early-stage settlement foundations, expands functional living areas, and develops supporting infrastructure in step with industrial growth.

a​To this end, policy efforts should focus on three key initiatives: (1) developing youth housing complexes within the Saemangeum Smart Waterfront City, (2) establishing a metropolitan transportation network that enhances access to essential services and amenities, and (3) designing a phased settlement and workforce development framework aligned with the evolving trajectory of industrial investment.

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