World news 225K views since yesterday

U.S. data-center backlash raises risks for South Korea's chip exports

A Korean report connects Democratic victories in Texas and Ohio with resistance to AI infrastructure, then asks what slower construction could mean for memory suppliers.

Channel: KBS News ·

South KoreaStory of November 7, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of KBS News's most watched videos since yesterday, with 224,578 views.

KBS News: The news division of KBS, South Korea's public broadcaster. 3.7M subscribers and 12B views.

[자막뉴스] 텍사스의 '들끓는 민심', 태평양 넘어 한국 덮치는 상황 / KBS 2026.11.06.

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:00Talarico celebrates his Texas victory and promises economic reform that challenges billionaire influence.
0:26The report links data-center opposition to electricity demand, water use, noise and limited local job creation.
1:09Ohio's Democratic victories provide a second example, with Brown criticizing technology money backing his opponent.
2:02The broadcast reports threats against data centers and officials, and an attack on Sam Altman's home.
2:40Seo warns that slower American data-center growth could hurt South Korea's memory-chip exports.

The argument over American data centers has a South Korean dimension: fewer facilities could mean weaker demand for the memory chips that help power artificial intelligence.

That is the warning in a report by South Korea's Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), which traces a connection between local frustration over electricity bills, water use and noise, Democratic election victories, and the country's semiconductor exports.

Reporter Seo Young-min begins with James Talarico, the Democratic U.S. senator-elect from Texas, celebrating victory and promising to change an economic system he says favors the wealthiest. The report presents opposition to data centers as part of that message: communities bear the resource costs, it argues, while relatively few permanent jobs follow.

In a September campaign clip, Talarico sets conditions for construction: facilities must meet community needs, cover their own energy costs and recycle water. "If they can't pay for their own energy, if they can't recycle their own water, then they shouldn't be built," he says.

The report says Elon Musk spent $200 million trying to defeat Talarico. It then turns to Ohio, where Democrats Sherrod Brown and Amy Acton won the Senate and governor's contests. Brown criticizes his opponent's backing by data-center companies, technology billionaires and out-of-state political money.

A graphic cites an NBC poll finding that 57% of U.S. voters believe AI will harm society. Seo interprets the election results as anger over living costs and war combining with resentment toward wealthy technology interests, rather than resistance to technology alone.

The broadcast also reports bomb threats and threats against businesspeople and officials, along with an April Molotov-cocktail attack on OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman's home.

KBS says Texas has already suspended new permits and moved to scrutinize existing plans. Penn State professor Hannah Wiseman describes residents questioning why their communities must host resource-intensive infrastructure when they see little direct benefit.

The report's conclusion is conditional: if that resistance slows American data-center construction, South Korea's memory-chip exporters could face a setback in a market that has supported high-value sales.