President Yoon Suk Yeol has pledged state support for a project to establish a hydrogen economy industrial belt along the east coast worth 800 billion won, or around 578 million U.S. dollars, aimed at fostering the North Gyeongsang region as a hydrogen industry hub. 

At the year's 26th round of public debate in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province on Thursday, Yoon called for innovation in the industrial structure to enable the region to make a new leap forward.
 
The president vowed to establish an investment fund for regional vitalization, including construction of a network of hydrogen pipes for a potential hydrogen fuel cell cluster in Pohang and a nuclear hydrogen national industrial complex in Uljin.

He also promised to empower the province to play a leading role in restoring the nuclear industrial ecosystem and advancing new industrialization through the creation of a small modular reactor(SMR) complex in Gyeongju worth 300 billion won and the construction of Shin Hanul reactors Three and Four.

Additionally, Yoon pledged to foster the Gumi industrial complex, which was designated a specialized semiconductor complex last year, to become a production base for material parts.