Lee says balanced regional development 'essential strategy' for Korea's sustained growth

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday called for locally driven growth, saying balanced regional development is "not a choice or a favor, but an essential strategy for Korea's sustained growth."

Lee made the remarks while chairing the Central-Local Government Cooperation Council at Cheong Wa Dae, attended by heads of metropolitan and local governments from across the country. "The starting point of all the major problems facing Korea is the extreme imbalance in the national territory," he said.

"The Greater Seoul area is dangerously overcrowded and on the verge of explosion, while regional areas face the opposite — the threat of extinction," Lee said. "This is eroding the overall efficiency and competitiveness of the nation. It is not desirable, neither for the metropolitan area nor for the country as a whole."

He said the decentralization of what he called "ultra-gap strategic industries," symbolized by the "three mega-projects," would be the key to opening an era of shared growth for the entire nation.

Lee pledged that the government would back balanced national development through the success of the three mega-projects it is pursuing. "The central government is devoting all its efforts to nurturing next-generation strategic industries that will support locally driven growth alongside the three mega-projects," he said.

Lee added that the government would work to grow industries and jobs centered on the "Five Hubs, Three Special Zones" framework, while fully supporting improvements to living conditions including housing, education and welfare.

The Five Hubs, Three Special Zones strategy aims to move beyond the current single-hub structure centered on the Greater Seoul area by reorganizing the country into five broad regional zones — the metropolitan area, the southeastern region, the Daegu-North Gyeongsang region, the central region and the Honam region — along with three special autonomous provinces: Gangwon Province, North Jeolla Province and Jeju.

Lee also stressed the need for cooperation between the central and local governments. "The central government cannot accomplish all of these tasks on its own," he said. "The central and local governments are partners and a community of shared destiny, together shouldering the historic mission of improving people's lives and ensuring the nation's continued development. I sincerely hope we will communicate closely, cooperate and build a better future together."

"I hope the central and local governments will join hands as one team to build an irreplaceable Korea — a Korea where all citizens can be happy," he added.

Lee also said that local autonomy, often described as grassroots democracy, must be healthy for democracy, regional development and genuine improvements in people's lives to be possible.

The meeting was attended by 15 regional government heads, including Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae, who chairs the Council of Metropolitan and Provincial Governors.

The Central-Local Government Cooperation Council is the top decision-making body on central-local cooperation, chaired by the president with the prime minister and the chair of the Council of Metropolitan and Provincial Governors serving as co-vice chairs. It brings together central government ministers, metropolitan and provincial governors, and heads of four local government associations to discuss major national policy issues, earning it the nickname "second Cabinet meeting."